94 “BULLETIN 588, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
for this period, and it is economy to held the grama grass, since ‘it 
retains its feeding value better than other range. 
This practice thas worked well at the Jornada Range Reserve. 
Pasture 10, of 12,293 acres, mainly grama grass, is reserved largely 
for the 500-head eee herd from November or December until 
ereen feed comes the following year on the summer range. This 
means that the bulk of the feed of Pasture 10 is available for the 
critical part of the year. Pasture 2, of 34,545 acres, mostly grama 
grass, 1s grazed lightly during the growing season, mainly by steers 
and by breeding cows which need extra care during winter and 
spring. About 250 thin cows and their calves from the maia breed- 
ing herd were carried through the critical dry period of spring and 
summer in 1916 by the dry grama grass reserved in Pasture 2. 
Without this feed a number of them would undoubtedly have died. 
The special breeding herd of 500 was held mainly in Pasture 10 until 
July. Loss from starvation was prevented by supplementing the 
dry grama grass with a smali quantity of cottonseed cake. 
In order to have additional range for the breeding stock in espe- 
cially critical years, about one-third of the carrying capacity of the 
Reserve in average years is used for steers. In good years the steer - 
stock can be increased as a means of completely utilizing the forage 
and in bad years, if necessary, part or all of the steers can be solid, 
thus releasing one-third more range for the breeding stock. There 
is usually a ready market during the spring and summer for steers 
for shipment to northern ranges, so that sales can be made without 
any great sacrifice. In addition to preventing loss, this plan makes 
it possible to build up the breeding stock without interforonte from 
forced sales of female stock. | 
This plan worked well in 1916. Range conditions were observed 
carefully during the dry spring, and on May 1 1,573 head of steers 
were sold. In average years they would have been replaced by pur- 
chase of yearling steers, but owing to the unfavorable season this was 
not done. The extra feed was held for the breeding stock. 
CONCENTRATED FEED (COTTONSEED CAKE) TO SUPPLEMENT RANGE FORAGE. 
Although the plan of reserving range feed and, when necessary, 
reducing the number of steers by sale will aid a good deal in reducing 
the loss from starvation; it will not do away with it altogether, nor 
will it prevent the breeding stock from getting too thin, nor insure © 
that the growth of calves and young stock will not be reiaedea greatly. 
It will be necessary, even in average years, to supplement the range 
forage with some concentrated feed, such as cottonseed cake. The 
percentage of the stock which will need feed and the period of feeding 
will ae largely upon tne your 
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