Cattle feeding in Colorado. 
Coloi ado is pre-eminently a grazing state. Pew crops 
can be raised without irrigation, and the total irrigated 
area of the State is about 2 , 000,000 acres, or one acre in 
about every thirty-three. The remainder of the State can 
be used tor nothing but grazing. 
Part of the land is occupied by sheep, especially in the 
south middle portion of the State. Most of the counties 
east of the mountains support some sheep. There is not 
much difference in the number of sheep and number of 
cattle, but the sheep require so much less land per head that 
the total area of the State occupied by cattle is much more 
than that used by sheep. 
. I he cattle ranging districts are scattered over the 
entire State and with considerable uniformity. There are 
in round numbers about 700,000 cattle in the State. The 
earlier cattle of the western ranges were so-called native 
stock, such as is now raised on the ranges of Texas and 
New Mexico. Much of this is still on the ranges of the 
southern half of Colorado. I he improved breeds have 
made more headway in the other half of the State, espec¬ 
ially in North Park and Kstes Park and the foothill and 
plains country from Boulder northward. I he earlier 
importations were of Durham blood. This breed was found 
well adapted to the varied conditions of Colorado, whether 
on the plains, foothills, or elevated parks, and has been 
more used than all the other improved breeds together. 
The only other pure breed that has been largely used is the 
Hereford, or Whiteface, as it is commonly called here. 
This breed is especially adapted to hilly pastures and is 
probably fully as good as the Shorthorn for most Colorado 
ranges. Attempts have been made to bring in other breeds 
mch as the Polled Angus, the Galloway, and the Red-polled. 
All feeders now recognize the advantage of having no 
horns on die cattle when they are put into the feeding cor¬ 
rals, and it was natural that they should attempt to^raise 
:attle that would be hornless from birth. These polled cat- 
