| UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Contribution from the Forest Service 
HENRY S. GRAVES, Forester 
| Washington, D. C. “PROFESSIONAL PAPER April 30, 1919 
PRODUCTION OF GOATS ON FAR WESTERN 
RANGES. 
By W. R. CHAPLINE, Grazing Hxraminer. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. | Page 
The goat range problem...............----- 1 | Selection of goats for the range.............. 2 
Range suitable for goats......-..-....--.--- 2. AECC GIG ee te ese oie Seon ann cae ee 30 
Management of the goat range.-........-..- GF Costsrand: receipts) es has ee ee eee 31 
Management of a range herd of goats....... DT es |S SUE TI Ty pee esi ee ots it ceca renee 32 
18 
RGGI ORE weer ree Ee SF LI A) nf 
THE GOAT RANGE PROBLEM. 
On far western ranges goats are raised mainly for mohair and 
meat and secondarily for milk and hides. On farms they are val- 
uable also for clearing brush. The possibility of clearing brushy 
areas by heavy stecking with goats and the excessive overgrazing 
and injury to the range which has resulted on many goat ranges 
from lack of proper management have created the impression that 
goat grazing can not be conducted without unwarranted damage to 
range and timber reproduction. Furthermore, a lack of proper se- 
lection, care, and management of the range goats has resulted in a 
low average production of mohair and meat and small profits. There 
are individuals, however, who have improved their methods of man- 
agement for the range and the goats so that they have eliminated 
overgrazing and injury to the range and established a profitable 
business. The adoption of similar improved methods more generally 
by range goat growers would greatly decrease injury to the range 
and to tree growth and watersheds where these are factors, and 
would place the range goat industry upon a more stable and re- 
munerative basis. 
The goat range problem to-day has three important phases: first, 
determining the character of range suitable for goat grazing; second, 
developing methods of management of goat range which will insure 
profitable production of goats without detriment to cattle and sheep 
raising, timber reproduction, watershed protection, and other uses of 
84091 °—19——_1 
