HOW TO GRAZE BLUE GRAMA OX SOUTHWESTERN RANGES 7 



Improper Grazing 



Blue grama is overutilized on good range when less than 2.5 percent 

 of the flower stalks and less than 60 percent of the forage volume 

 remain at the end of the season and when the stubble is less than 2 

 inches high. On range on which during drought years the basal 

 leafage does not make over 2 inches of growth and very few flower 

 stalks are produced, grazing use must be kept to a minimum if soil 

 deterioration, which inevitably accompanies excessive removal of 

 the protective cover of plant material, is to be avoided. 



On a greatly overutilized blue grama range there is a sandpapered 

 or slieked-off appearance, the color of the ground surface rather than 

 that of the vegetation is dominant, and surface rocks and debris pro- 

 trude noticeably above the grazed level of the plants (fig. 4). Other in- 

 dicators include accelerated wind and water erosion, finger gullies, pedes- 



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Figure 4. — Overutilized blue grama-bluestem wheatgrass stand in Juniper-pin. >n 

 woodland type. Note the lack of flower stalks, the visible amount of bare 

 ground, and the prominence of malpais rock on the surface. When properly 

 grazed, the grasses on this area effectively hide all the ground surface and most 

 of the rock, when viewed from a distance. 



taled grass tufts, erosion pavement, and an abundance of range plants of 

 low forage value such as broom snakeweed, pingue actinea. three-awns, 

 and ring muhly. 



Conservative Management 



Blue grama is well suited to grazing by all kinds of domestic live- 

 stock, but the relatively flat ranges in the short-grass country afford 

 animals almost no protection against winter storms. Also, despite 

 the high grazing capacity of these grass ranges in average or better 

 years, they are not so dependable' in drought years a- tin- more sandy 

 lands with a mixed forage stand. For these reasons most eastern 

 New Mexico ranches prefer some browse for winter \\>v<\ and protection 

 and some sandy land for a drought reserve to accompany their gen- 

 erally high-grazing-capacity blue grama range. 



The grazing capacity of blue grama range hinds varies. Under 

 the most favorable climatic and soil conditions in western Texas. 



