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RANGE LAND The range lands in Baca qou~ty probably dropped to low ca'rrymg capacity as early as the eighties. , Dur- ing the dry seasons of the nineties they were without doubt considerably! over- grazed, and it is probable that there has been more or ft.ss overgrazing since that time. Thus the range had been de- pleted before the severe drought and dust storms came in the middle thirties. The dust storms damaged the range in two ways. Grass was swept olf with topsoil that was blown away ",nd it was covered with drifting soil in the form of hummocks. In either ca~e, the grass was destroyed or severely: dam-' . aged an'd was generally replaced by annual weeds, such as Russi8J] thistle. It was estimated in 1937 that the carrying capacity of the range land for' the entire county had been reduced by' one-half. Ohecks made by the Soil Oonservation Service in 1939~40 indi- cate subsequent improvement ranging up to 50 percent, depending upon the condition of the range and its lobation with respect to blow hazards and other damaging factors.. Oattle are the predominant livestock in Baca County, chiefly beef cattle. There are a few dairy herds. A few bands of sheep and some borses are on the range. Most of the ranches,.: large and small, maintain breeding herds. Present management practices au;d 1'ec- o.mmendations vary with siz~ of ppera- tlOn and type of range aVaIlable. In general, the larger operators practice year-long grazing, and supplemental feeding is limited to storm periods and consists only of protein concentrates. Most smaller operators plan to add some forage crops to their feed supply. Management practices are also affccted by the fact that many ownership units lire not large enough for a successful ranch. There is a large acreage of GoverlUllent-owncd land in the county that is being made available for use as .grazingland to nearby operators. Other lands are available for private leases. Regulat,jons of the two soil conservation districts and penalties im- posed by the Agricultural Adjustment Administration prevent breaking up 18 new sod at the present time. Problems . of ",vegetation make It impossible to determine when the land that is no longer cultivated will be' available for grazing, or what its grazing capacity and type of cover will' permit as to management practices. Range management recommendations are based on the type of range; amount of improvement needed, such as fencing, water developments, and buildings; the degree of depletion; and the topography. Many variations are necessarily being introduced in the operations of indi- vidual ranches. On all range land; the fundamental requirement for maIntaining cover is grazin[5 within the carrying capacity; that is, restricting grazing to the amount that may be removed and still allow the most desirable forage plants to main- tain their stand and vigor. To do this it is not only necessary to limit the number of livestock but also to con- sider the scasonal requirements of the range and the improvements and man- agement necessary to secure adequate distribution of livestock. The latter depends largely upon proper fencing and water developments, and upon the amount of. forage produced in each season. Adequate water supply and means of distributing the livcstock are of great importance in effecting proper management practices. There must be adequate water available for each grazing unit. This may involve con- struction of springs, improvement of wells and windmills, and on some units construction of surface tanl<s or ponds. Water should be so distributed that livestock will need to travel no more than 2 miles to water and preferably less, part,icularly in the rough broken areas. Fencing adequate to control the movement of livestock, particularly where seasonal or deferred grazing must be practiced, is necessary unless other devices are employed, such as placing salt licks in spots where distribution is not secured othcrwise or moving live- stock ,by riders. Since this country is subject to recur- rent severe droughts, range management should be adjusted . to meet these Physical Land Conditions in the .