UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 1031 „ 



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Contribution from the Forest Service 

 WILLIAM B. GREELEY, Forester 



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Washington, D. C. 



May 15, 1922 



RANGE AND CATTLE MANAGEMENT DURING 



DROUGHT. 



By James T. Jakdine, Inspector of Grazing, and Claeence L. Foesling, Grazing 



Examiner. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

 The problem of drought and cattle 



production 1 



Jornada Range Reserve 4 



Types of vegetation 5 



Use of the area prior to reser- 

 vation 10 



Recurrence of drought 11 



Variation in forage production 18 



Variation due to drought 19 



Variation due to grazing 25 



Forage production conclusions- 33 



Grazing capacity 34 



Yearlong or winter range 35 



Summer range 40 



Adjustments necessary in cattle man- 

 agement 41 



Southern New Mexico a cattle- 

 breeding section 42 



Page. 



Adjustments necessary, etc. — Contd. 



Breeding herd should be limited 



to grazing capacity of the 



range during drought 43 



Surplus stock should vary with 

 range forage production and 



with the market 46 



Range management to obtain 

 maximum forage production 



and proper use 49 



Improvements necessary to meet in- 

 crease in cost of cattle production- 53 

 Improvements in grade of stock _ 54 



Increasing calf crop 58 



Decreasing losses of cattle 65 



Increasing growth of young 



stock _4 77 



Summary 79 



THE PROBLEM OF DROUGHT AND CATTLE PRODUCTION. 



Cattle production on ranges of the Southwest in the past has been 

 a business of "ups and downs," with prosperity or adversity gov- 

 erned by climatic conditions, which brought seasons of plenty in 

 range forage and stock water followed by seasons of restricted forage 

 growth and scarcity of water. 



Soon after the cattle business became established on the open public 

 range of the Southwest the herds were built up during a period of 

 good years until the developed ranges were stocked fully or beyond 

 the number that they could carry even in good years. Then, at in- 



74514° — 22— Bull. 1081 1 1 



