oO BULLETIN 1031, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
has had ample opportunity to recover to its proper stand of forage. 
As soon as one portion has been built up the same treatment should 
be given another part of the range and the process rotated so that 
the entire range will receive the benefits of the treatment every few 
years. Since part of the range is being more heavily grazed than the 
yearlong rate during the growing season, however, care should be 
exercised to see that this part is not injured before it receives an 
opportunity to be protected during the growing season. 
DISTRIBUTION OF STOCK ON THE RANGE. 
ie 
Full and even utilization of the forage, more especially on the 
larger subdivisions or units of range, is an important factor if best 
results are to be expected from a system of range management. On 
the Jornada Range Reserve, besides proper number and distribution 
of watering places, it has been found that other measures are very 
often necessary to secure the best results. When cattle are shifted 
from one part of a range to another there is a natural tendency for 
them to drift back toward their former range. Cattle are often slow 
to drift from the vicinity of water where grazing is quite close to 
another part of the pasture or range where there is more feed. Fenc- 
ing in such instances may not be economical, but proper salting and 
range riding have been found of material benefit. 
Distribution of water for stock.—Proper number and distribution 
of watering places are essential to avoid overstocking around water 
and secure full utilization of an entire range. It was pointed out” 
that permanent watering places on the plains and mesa range of the 
Southwest should not be more than 5 miles apart wherever the 
carrying capacity of the range and the cost of water development 
will warrant. As the distance increases beyond 5 miles there will be 
rapid increase in local overgrazing near the water and in uneven 
utilization beyond 24 miles from water, with poorer condition and 
heavier losses among stock. Plate IV, figures 1 and 2, shows the 
effects of too great distances between waterings on the range and of 
proper distances. 
It was also pointed out*® that one permanent watering place to 
each 500 head of cattle is justified, and that where the conditions are 
favorable tanks should be constructed to catch flood waters to sup- 
plement the permanent watering places. Such tanks are of necessity 
limited to areas of suitable drainage, no tanks being possible on flat 
areas or those with extremely sandy soil. The southwest portion of 
the plains area of the Jornada reserve is well suited to tanking, and 
14 surface tanks have been constructed to supplement the five perma- 
13 Department of Agriculture Bulletin 588. 
