RANGE AND CATTLE MANAGEMENT DURING DROUGHT. 5S- 



nent waters on this part of the reserve. These tanks aid materially 

 in securing the use of more green feed and in making it possible to- 

 relieve the range near the permanent waters a portion of each year. 



Riding and salting. — The economical limits of water distribution 

 at best will be such that there may be considerable overstocking and 

 consequent range depreciation around water. This can be materially 

 reduced by handling the stock to get better distribution than will 

 naturally result when cattle are allowed to follow their own inclina- 

 tions. 



The practice found most effective on the Jornada Range Reserve 

 in getting better distribution of the stock when first moved to fresh 

 range has been to divide the herd into small bunches and place each 

 bunch at a different water. If all were turned loose at a single water 

 they would be slow in working out to the other waters, and over- 

 grazing of a portion of the range would result. 



Salting is one of the most effective means of attracting stock to 

 a range, and, if sufficiently salted, stock will be less likely to drift 

 away. Stock should have all the salt they wish at all times and 

 care should be exercised to see that the supply never becomes ex- 

 hausted. 



Salting only at or near those watering places on the range where 

 it is desired that stock should go, and refraining from salting at 

 or adjacent to water around which the forage is already fully grazed 

 or where there is overgrazing, will aid materially in proper distribu- 

 tion of stock. Salting on areas away from water that for some rea- 

 son or other cattle might not be using has been found effective in 

 getting better use of such areas. 



There are times, however, when locating cattle in small bunches 

 at the various waters and even proper salting will not prevent ex- 

 cessive numbers of stock around a single water. This is often the 

 case around home waters where stock are frequently worked or 

 around waters where a large number of stock have become located. 

 In such cases it may be necessary occasionally to close the water en- 

 tirely until the stock have become accustomed to go elsewhere to 

 drink. Riding after the cattle and keeping them turned back toward 

 their proper range will also help in reducing the stocking on run- 

 down range, and riding to see that no cattle suffer from lack of 

 water is essential where a permanent water is temporarily closed up. 



IMPROVEMENTS NECESSARY TO MEET INCREASE IN COST OF 

 CATTLE PRODUCTION. 



Stockmen of southern New Mexico and of other similar sections 

 realize that increasing value of range and costs of feed, labor, and 

 general supplies call for readjustment of production methods, espe- 

 cially for greater assurance against heavy losses. Any change, how- 



