70 BULLETIN 1031^ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICLTLTUEE. 



extensive use was made of this plant as feed in the spring of 1918. 

 Complete details for handling and feeding this plant are given in 

 another bulletin.^- 



A total of 353 tons of chopped soapweed and 47,090 pounds of cot- 

 tonseed meal was fed in feeds of 15 to 20 pounds of soapweed and 1 

 to 1^ pounds' of meal per day, to a total number of 845 head of cows 

 from the main breeding herd between January 20 and June 11, 1918. 

 Some of the stock were on feed the entire period, and others were 

 fed only a part of the time. Poor cattle fed this am-ount of soap- 

 weed and cottonseed meal daily were maintained with very little 

 loss, and part of the stock gained slightly. 



The cost of feeding soapweed and meal was $3.23 per head actually 

 fed, or $1.84 per head when the entire main herd is considered. The 

 cost of preparing the soapweed was $3.72 per ton,-^ and cottonseed 

 meal, including labor in feeding, cost $60 per ton. The average daily 

 ration of prepared soapweed and cottonseed meal cost approximately 

 7 cents per daj. 



The slow growth of this plant and the time required to replace 

 a stand of soapweed, once it has been cut, however, warrants its use 

 only as an emergency ration, at least until more definite informa- 

 tion is available to determine the actual time required for replace- 

 ment. 



The use of forage from irrigated farms will depend upon the 

 availability of such forage and the cost of feeding. During 1918, 

 873 weaned heifer calves were fed ensilage on a farm in the Rio 

 Grande Valley, adjacent to the reserve, at the rate of 14.3 pounds of 

 ensilage and 0.8 pound of cottonseed meal per day for a period of 

 approximately 85 days. The ensilage cost $7 and the cottonseed cake 

 $60 per ton. This was at the rate of $2.22 per month for a calf. A 

 grown cow would require at least 17 to 20 pounds of ensilage and a 

 pound of cottonseed meal per day, wdiich would cost $2.70 to $3 per 

 month for feed alone, on the basis of prevailing prices of ensilage 

 and cottonseed meal in 1918. Under southwestern range conditions, 

 such high prices for feed are warranted only in case of extreme 

 emergency and for short periods. 



Dry-farming forage crops have been raised under conditions 

 of slightly better rainfall than prevails in southern New Mexico, 

 but little or no success has been obtained where the av^erage annual 

 rainfall is as low as at the Jornada Range Reserve. Raising forage 

 crops in southern New Mexico in the average year is a possibility 



2= Forsliug, C. L., Chopped Soapweed as Emergency Feed for Cattle on Southwestern 

 Ranges, U. S. Dept. of Agr., Bui. 745, .Tanuai-y, lOin. 



-" The cost of converting soapweed into feed was .$2.27 per ton in 1918, when equipment 

 and labor were operating satisfactorily. On account of imperfection and dilliciilty in ob- 

 taining skilled laI)or there were often long delays and loss of time which resulted in an 

 ayerai;e cost of .$3.72 per ton. 



