66 BULLETIN 1031, V. S. DEPARTMEIv^T OF AGEICrLTUKE, 



business foresight in not keeping a supply of water aliead of the 

 daily requirement for use in an emergenc}". 



Adjusting livestock production to the amount of forage produced 

 over a period of years, as already discussed in preceding chapters, is 

 expected to guard against the serious losses in time of extended 

 drought. Within each j^ear. however, from February or ]March to the 

 beginning of the summer rains, is a period when there is great 

 danger of loss from starvation. The available dry forage is low in 

 nutritive value and the point of full utilization of the years supply 

 is being neared. Stock are normally in their poorest condition at 

 this time of the year. In any herd on a fully stocked range there 

 will always be a number of unthrifty cows among which losses will 

 be heavy unless steps are taken to prevent it. Measures to prevent 

 such losses are essential in addition to the plan for maintaining the 

 permanent herd over a period of years, and constitute a secondary 

 step in the whole plan to guard against losses from starvation. The 

 principal measures taken to avoid loss from starvation on the Jornada 

 Eange Reserve have been reserving a supply of range forage for use 

 by need}^ stock during the critical period of the year, proper distribu- 

 tion of water, early weaning of calves, supplemental feeding, and care 

 in handling stock. 



Reserved range feed. — The first step in providing for the critical 

 period of the year has been to reserve a sufficient portion of range 

 that is suitable for winter use for poor stock during the period 

 January to July, as previously stated. Pastures 3 and 8 and part 

 of pasture 7, all of which are principally grama grass and browse 

 range, are held until winter and then used b^^ poor stock from the 

 main breeding herd. Pasture 2 is held for use b}^ the main breed- 

 ing herd in time of drought, and also for need}^ cows in this herd 

 during spring. The animals in the large pasture are watched dur- 

 ing winter and sjjring, and needy ones transferred to the small pas- 

 tures where there is better forage. In the springs of 1916 and 1917 

 about 4 per cent of the cows in the main herd were transferred to 

 these joastures. During the same period in 1918, the worst of the 

 drought, these pastures were utilized for carrj'ing the poorest stock. 

 Having this supply of reserve forage available for use by the poorest 

 stock played an important part in reducing losses in this herd. 



The special herd on the reserve is provided for in pasture 13 dur- 

 ing summer and fall. Beginning in early fall, the cows were care- 

 fully watched, and as soon as one began to get poor she was trans- 

 ferred to the winter range in pastures 10 or 7. This gave the poor 

 cows the advantage of having fresh range and shorter distance to 

 travel to water, which avoided much of the danger of loss. Com- 

 plete utilization of the summer range b}- the stronger cattle was 

 then obtained. 



