The West 15 



In this table it must be remembered that the carrying 

 capacity of the Reserves is figured on the basis of the 

 total area and no deductions are made for those parts 

 which are so rough or so heavily timbered that no graz- 

 ing is possible. The heaviest timbered areas are found 

 toward the North Pacific Coast where the rainfall is 

 greatest. The Washington Reserves are nearly all in the 

 rain belt, hence the comparatively low grazing capacity 

 shown in the table. The roughest Reserves are found 

 in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, as in Montana. 

 The carrying capacity of the various sections is illus- 

 trated in the following tabulation concerning the Re- 

 serves of Oregon. The Coast Mountains are in a region 

 of excessive rainfall and very heavy timber. The Cascade 

 Mountains are partly in this belt, but extend over into 

 the semi-arid section. Eastern Oregon, on the other 

 hand, is in the typical semi-arid region of ten to twenty 

 inches of rain and so has much less timber and much more 

 grass. 



Outside of the heaviest timber and roughest mountains, 

 about thirty to forty acres of mountain or forest range 

 will be required for each cow. This is summer range only. 

 In addition, grazing on the lower hills and plains or " win- 

 ter ranges" must be provided for spring and fall. In the 

 regions of fifteen inches or more rainfall, ten to fifteen 

 acres will support a cow during this season, while twenty- 

 five to fifty acres will be needed where the rainfall is only 

 ten inches. If no hay is used for winter, another twenty- 

 five to fifty acres is needed. Under favorable conditions 

 one ton of hay and a total of forty acres of grass will 

 support a cow. Selected tracts might do a little better 

 than this. On the other hand, there are thousands of 

 cattle in the West that require more than one hundred 



