RANGE AND CATTLE MANAGEMENT BUKING DEOUGHT. 



G7 



Wafer development. — Proper number and distribution of watering: 

 places plays an important part in keeping cattle in condition that 

 will prevent losses. Naturally, where the distance between waters 

 is great the feed near water is utilized first ; then, later on, when the 

 stock are poorest, they are compelled to travel great distances from 

 water to feed, so that much time and energy are wasted. Losses on 

 the outside range adjoining the reserve on the west, where watering 

 places are 7 to 12 miles apart, were heavy in 1916, 1917, and 1918, 

 largely on account of the weak stock having to travel so far from 

 water to feed. As they grew weaker they were unable to travel out 

 to where feed was good, and soon became so weak that they died. 

 Having the watering places 5 miles or less apart will secure more 

 even utilization of the range and weak stock will not have to travel 

 so far to water. 



Early weaning and feeding of calves. — Obviously, a cow will not 

 do as well on the range when she is suckling a calf as when she lias 

 only herself to provide for. Weaning calves as soon as they are old 

 enough, therefore, should be a decided advantage in maintaining 

 cows in better condition on the range. 



The practice on the Jornada Eange Reserve in the average year 

 has been to wean the calves during early winter when they are from 

 6 to 10 months of age. Plate X, jfigure 1, shows a number of calves 

 on feed. In 1917, during the drought, all calves down to 4 months 

 of age were weaned in October. When the calves were weaned the 

 cows were turned back on the range, and fewer of them required 

 feed or additional care than would otherwise have been necessary. 



Early weaning of calves, even down to 4 months of age, has been 

 made possible by feeding. Ordinarily, calves are weaned at 6 to 

 10 months of age. The earlier weaning has been limited to calves 

 from a small percentage of cows, except in 1917. The number of 

 calves fed, the amount and character of feed, and cost of feeding 

 are given in Table 24. 



Table 24. 



-Number of calres fed, character and amount of feed, and cost of 

 feeding. 



Year. 



Number 



of c lives 



fed. 



Character and amount of feed. 



Cost of 

 feed and 

 feeding. 



Cost 



per 



head. 



191G 



1700 

 1746 



873 



/37.2 tons cottonseed cake 



\4.5 tons alfalfa . 



$1, 722. 10 



72. 50 



3, 018. 01 



1 $2. 56 

 1 4.71 



I 9.14 





1917 



i52.5 tons cottonseed cake 



1918 



1488 tons ensilage ' 3, 466. 00 



■^48.9 tonseottonseed meal 2. 9,S<i. no 







[ Valley pasturage . . 



1, 577. 00 



1 









1 Includes half heifers and half steers. 



The feeding of cottonseed cake to older calves in 1916 and 1917 

 was largely to prevent them from becoming stunted. Although they 



