RANGE AND CATTLE MANAGEMENT DURING DROUGHT. 53 
nent waters on this part of the reserve. These tanks aid materially 
in securing the use of more green feed and in making it possible to 
relieve the range near the permanent waters a portion of each year. 
Riding and salting—The economical limits of water distribution 
at best will be such that there may be considerable overstocking and 
consequent range depreciation around water. This can be materially 
reduced by handling the stock to get better distribution than will 
naturally result when cattle are allowed to follow their own inclina- 
tions. 
The practice found most effective on the Jornada Range Reserve 
in getting better distribution of the stock when first moved to fresh 
range has been to divide the herd into small bunches and place each 
bunch at a different water. If all were turned loose at a single water 
they would be slow in working out to the other waters, and over- 
grazing of a portion of the range would result. | 
Salting is one of the most effective means of attracting stock to 
a range, and, if sufficiently salted, stock will be less likely to drift 
away. Stock should have all the salt they wish at all times and 
care should be exercised to see that the supply never becomes ex- 
hausted. - : 
Salting only at or near those watering places on the range where 
it is desired that stock should go, and refraining from salting at 
or adjacent to water around which the forage is already fully grazed 
or where there is overgrazing, will aid materially in proper distribu- 
tion of stock. Salting on areas away from water that for some rea- 
son or other cattle might not be using has been found effective in 
getting better use of such areas. 
There are times, however, when locating cattle in small bunches 
at the various waters and even proper salting will not prevent ex- 
cessive numbers of stock around a single water. This is often the 
case around home waters where stock are frequently worked or 
around waters where a large number of stock have become located. 
In such cases it may be necessary occasionally to close the water en- 
tirely until the stock have become accustomed to go elsewhere to 
drink. Riding after the cattle and keeping them turned back toward 
their proper range will also help in reducing the stocking on run- 
down range, and riding to see that no cattle suffer from lack of 
water is essential where a permanent water is temporarily closed up. 
IMPROVEMENTS NECESSARY TO MEET INCREASE IN COST OF 
CATTLE PRODUCTION. 
Stockmen of southern New Mexico and of other similar sections 
realize that increasing value of range and costs of feed, labor, and 
- general supplies call for readjustment of production methods, espe- 
cially for greater assurance against heavy losses. Any change, how- 
