RANGE AND CATTLE MANAGEMENT DURING DROUGHT. 



69 



maintenance ration. Cottonseed cake has been used to supplement 

 the range forage each year on the Jornada Range Reserve. 



Table 25 shows the actual number and per cent of total herd, 

 amount of cottonseed cake fed to supplement range forage, and cost 

 of feeding, for the main breeding herd of approximately 1,500 head 

 on the Jornada Range Reserve, 1915 to 1918. 



Table 25. — Records of supplemental feeding of cottonseed cake with range for- 

 age to cows from the main herd of approximately 1,500 head. 



Year. 



Number 

 cows fed. 



Per cent 



of cows 



fed. 



Amount 

 cotton- 

 seed 

 cake. 



Total 



cost of 



feed and 



feeding. 



Cost per 

 head 

 fed. 



Cost per 

 head 

 entire 

 herd. 



Period of 

 feeding. 



1915-16 



174 



.1200 



2 1,296 



5.1 

 13.1 



85.4 



Pounds. 



5,900 



16,885 



59,424 



$118.00 



485.45 



1,772.72 



$1.59 

 2.42 

 1.39 



$0.08 



.32 



1.19 



Feb. l-Apr.26, 



1916-17 



Dec. 18- Aug. 7 . 



1917-18 



Jan. 1-JuIy 31. 



1918-193 





















1 Includes some bulls. 



2 Includes onlj' breeding cows. 



3 No feeding. 



The number of stock, amount of feed, length of feeding period, 

 and cost of feed will depend largely upon the year and feed prices. 

 In the spring of 1916 the period was comparatively short, because of 

 rains in April and May. The years 1917 and 1918 were very dry 

 years and the feeding period was longer. In 1918 the ranges were 

 considerably overstocked, which accounts in part for the excessive 

 feeding that year. 



As pointed out under increasing the calf crop, the 500-head herd 

 was fed to maintain them in thrifty condition for breeding. When 

 the herd is kept in this condition there is, obviously, less danger of 

 loss from starvation. 



Feeding of roughage. — In case of prolonged drought the supply of 

 range feed may near depletion or become entirely exhausted. To 

 meet such emergencies some supply of roughage will be of advan- 

 tage. Such a supply of forage is limited to (1) native forage plants 

 that are unusable in their native state but may be prepared into 

 feed; (2) forage crops raised under irrigation; (3) dry-land forage 

 crops raised during wet years and stored for emergency purposes. 

 Of these, feeding prepared from native forage plants offers the best 

 possibility thus far. 



Feeding of soapweed. — The use of soapweed as emergency feed 

 (PI. X, fig. 2) was first started on the Jornada Range Reserve in 1915 

 by making ensilage out of the tops of the plants." When fed in 1916, 

 1917, and 1918 this ensilage gave very satisfactory results. During 

 the fall of 1917 machinery for cutting soapweed was developed, and 



21 Jardine, James T., and Hurtt, L. C, Increased Cattle Production on Southwestern 

 Ranges, U. S. Dept. of Agr., Bui. 588, 1917, p. 26. 



