GOATS ON FAR WESTERN RANGES. 30 
Range suitable for goats should pessess a mixture of browse, 
grasses, and weeds, be free from continued heavy rains and snows, 
and be well supplied with bed grounds and watering places. 
For proper management of any goat range the forage should be 
utilized in such a manner as best to meet the needs of range and 
goats. The entire range should be divided fer seasonal use into three 
parts, spring range, summer and fall range, and winter range. The 
grazing on these divisions should be of such intensity and distribu- 
tion as to secure a uniform utilization and to allow the forage to 
make sufficient growth to maintain itself. 
The spring range must necessarily be grazed heavily at that time, 
but it should not be overstocked and should be protected from graz- 
ing at other times of the year. 
The summer-and-fall range, containing the forage at the higher 
elevations, must usually be grazed during the growing pericd of the 
vegetation. The grazing, accordingly, should be well distributed 
and should be deferred until after seed maturity on successive parts 
of the division so as to insure proper revegetation. 
The winter range, located on areas low enough to avoid severe 
storms, should be reserved for winter grazing only, in order to in- 
sure an ample supply of suitable winter forage. The grazing should 
be well distributed over the division, and the range close to the 
sheds should be reserved for use during stormy periods only. 
Overgrazing causes deterioration of the range, erosion, injury to 
timber reproduction, and impairment of the growth of goats and 
mohair. Excessive overgrazing may even cause serious loss and suf- 
fering among the goats at critical periods. The number of goats 
should be regulated so as to prevent overgrazing. 
Plenty of fresh, palatable feed has a marked beneficial effect on 
mohair production, growth of the goats, percentage of kids raised, 
and proportion of losses. Therefore, instead of overstocking a range 
with a large number of inferior-grade goats, the producer should 
graze high-grade goats to the number the range can conservatively 
carry. The net revenue will be just as great if not greater. 
On the range it is most economical and gives the most satisfactory 
results to graze goats in herds of about 1,200 head. It also proves 
best te graze breeding does separate from dry does, wethers, year- 
lings, and weaned kids. , 
Open, quiet herding, and grazing of the goats for four or five 
hours both in the cool of the morning and the cool of the evening 
with a rest on the range during the heat of the day is the most suc- 
cessful method. 
The use of the same bed ground throughout the year results in 
uneven utilization of the forage, a large overgrazed area about the 
84091°—19--——3 
