72 



BULLETIX 10.31^ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



time to get them on feed before there was danger of their starving 

 to death. Riding among and handling range cattle may have a 

 slight tendency to disturb and annoy them, so that they may not do 

 so well at first. This has even led some stockmen to the opinion that 

 it is best to disturb them as little as possible. Experience has shown, 

 however, that this is true to a slight extent only with the native cat- 

 tle, and that the better grades which have practically replaced the 

 native stock have now become accustomed to handling and are not 

 injured by it, providing it is slowly and carefully done. Even timid 

 cattle soon learn to come to feed, and if carefully handled receive 

 the full benefit from it. 



Comparison of star-nation losses. — The measure of results from the 

 steps taken to avoid losses from starvation is shown by a compari- 

 son of the losses of stock that have occurred on the Jornada Range 

 Reserve since the problem was attacked, and losses under open range 

 conditions in southern Xew Mexico for the same period. Such a 

 comparison is made in Table 26. 



Table 26.- 



-Losses of live stock from starvation on the Jornada Range Reserve 

 and on open southenv Neiv Mexico ranges. 



Year. 



Jornada Range 

 Reserve. 



Open 

 range. 



Entire State, i 



Main 

 herd. 



500 .spe- 

 cial herd. 



1916 



Per cent. 

 0.3 

 1.0 

 2.5 



2 1.0 



Per cent. 



0.0 



.4 



.4 



.0 



Per cent. 



12 



15 



35 



5 





1917 



1 



191 S 





1919 











1.2 .2 ■ 16.7 















1 Data furnished by Cattle Sanitary Board of New Mexico. Losses heavier In northern part of State 

 because of severe winter of 1915^19. 



2 Herd on the reserve only part of the year, but figure appUes to whole year. 



' Although this figure includes some losses from other causes, losses are mainly due to starvation. 



Records for losses on the Jornada Range Reserve are made from 

 actual observations of stock that died. Since poorest stock are 

 handled in small pastures and around feed, lots, and the entire range 

 covered by riders many times during each 3'ear during round-ups 

 and on other occasions, very few dead stock are missed. The records 

 for the outside are compiled from careful estimates from observation 

 by stockmen and others connected with the livestock industry, and 

 are considered reliable. 



The comparatively low losses on the Jornada Range Reserve in the 

 main herd are attributed directly to the method of management to 

 provide for needy stock during the period from January until rains 

 occur in the summer, and to reducing the number of stock on the 

 rancre in time of drouofht. The additional cost for feed was not 



