CHOPPED SOAPWEED AS EMERGENCY EEED. 15 



for profitable cutting as cattle feed. There is little information on 

 this point, however, and it will be several years before reliable data 

 become available from growth studies begun in 1915. 



Soapweed reproduces by sprouts from the roots of the old plants 

 and from seed. The reproduction from seed is scant in comparison 

 with the quantity of seed produced. Flower stalks make their first 

 appearance about May. 1 to 15 in southern New Mexico, and the 

 period of blossoming extends from the last week in May to the latter 

 part of June. After formation of the seed, the stalk and seed begin 

 to dry slowly, and the pod opens in the fall, dropping the light, flat 

 seed, which may be carried a considerable distance by the wind. The 

 seed dissemination period often extends through the winter into the 

 following spring, since the pods do not open fully at first. 



Establishment of growth from seed is very slow, perhaps be- 

 cause of low vitality of the seed produced or of soil-moisture condi- 

 tions unfavorable to germination and to establishment of the plants 

 after germination. Reproduction by sprouts is more rapid. The 

 sprouts spring up from the roots of the old plants the first growing 

 season after the old stem is cut or dies. Often also new plants 

 spring up from the base of old plants that are still alive, indicating 

 that when old plants mature young ones spring up to take their 

 places. Usually one or more sprouts spring up from a single old 

 root, and it is common to find twice as many new plants on an area 

 as there were old plants formerly. After the first or second year the 

 growth of sprouts is perhaps not more rapid than the growth of 

 seedlings. 



NECESSITY FOR CONSERVATIVE, SELECTIVE CUTTING. 



The growth habits of the soapweed make it important to observe 

 several precautions in cutting the plant. 



While soapweed is abundant on many ranges of the Southwest at 

 present, the plant is very slow-growing and requires possibly 10 years 

 to reach the size for profitable cutting. Consequently, indiscriminate 

 and unlimited cutting would result in depletion of the supply in a 

 comparatively short time. It is advisable, at least until further in- 

 formation is available as to the rate of growth of soapweed, that 

 the soapweed should be used only for emergency feed to carry stock 

 over a time of drought or for other emergency needs, such as feeding 

 bulls during winters of average years if this is necessary to insure 

 satisfactory bull service. As the droughts occur at intervals of from 

 three to ten years, it should be possible to determine a rotation sys- 

 tem of cutting, whereby sufficient soapweed will be available at any 

 time for a drought that may last several years. 



