The Coconino sun., 1924-01-04

Arizona ranks sixth among the
grazing states in the number of cat
e that are found on the ranges. II
also takes high rank in the other do
mestic animals found on the ranges
of the west. About one third of the
cattle of the state and one-fourth Of
the sheep Craze on ranges within the
limits OF Indian reservations.
Of the 72,838,000 acres of land in
the state fully 80 per cent of the land
is available for many years to come
or until the development of reclalma-
tion projects divert a portion of the
grazing land into other phases OF
agriculture.
Although extensive irrigation prof
ects have been recently developed in
various portions Of the state the land
now comprising projects forms but q
small portion of the entire acreage
that is available for livestock growing
Statistics gathered by Charles U
Pickrell, livestock specialist of the
University Of Arizona, show that there
are in the state of Arizona 100000
cattle, 1,115,000 sheep, $4,000 goats
100000 horses and IL 300 hogs.
Geographically Arizona Is distinct
ly divided into three regions; the re-
gion including Coconino, northern
Yavapai and the northern two-thirds
Of Navajo and Apache. counties is
known as the plateau region. This
region joins the mountain region on
the west in Mohave county, and its
southern boundary can be clearly
traced along the source Of the north
ern drainage of the Bill Williams riv-
er, the Verde and the Salt river
rims.
The mountain region embraces Mo-
have, Yavapai, Gila, Graham, Green
lee, Cochise, eastern Pinal, eastern
Pima and Santa Cruz counties.
The desert region joins the noun
tain region in northern Yuma county,
northern Maricopa and includes the
portion Of Pinal county west of Flor
ence and the portion of Pima county
west of Tucson, with the exception Of
a few mountain ranges in southern
Pima county.
Considerable difference in climatic
and forage conditions is found in these
three regions. The elevation of the
grazing land in the plateau region
ranges from 5000 to 5000 feet. In
the mountain region the elevation
ranges from 1000 to 5000 feet, the
greater portion lying between 5000
and 5000 feet. The elevation of the
desert region, except for a few scat
tered small mountain ranges, starts
at 1000 feet and slopes down to sea
level.
On the plateau region, both cattle
and sheep have winter and summer
ranges; the summer ranges being To-
Gated at the higher elevations. A
large part of the sheep drift to lower
portions of the mountain region, utll-
izing those parts of the range that
are not well watered when the snow
comes.
Keeping breeding cows in many sec
tions of the plateau region has prov
en- improbable, due to the short graz
ing season on the summer ranges.
The moving from winter range to
summer range in the spring greatly
interferes with the breeding season
and the extra work of roundup and
branding on the two ranges.
Placing of yearling steers on these
ranges and keeping them there until
they are past two years of age or
older is now being practiced by some
and is probably the most satisfactory
system of grazing cattle on the high
er ranges of the plateau region.
A number of men who have been in
the sheep and cattle business contend
that sheep can use most of the range
in the plateau region to better advan-
tage than cattle. Time alone under
normal conditions viii answer this
question.
Here Is the most favored cattle pro-
ducing area, although cattle are found
throughout the state. There is less
loss from drouth and the calf crop
year in and year out is larger in this
region than in either Of the other two.
The extreme difference in elevation
within small areas affords a wide var
iation of forage and generally suffic-
lent water. A few sheep grazing areas
are also found in this region, but cat
tie and goats occupy the greater por-
tion. Most of the goats Of the state
are found in Yavapai, Graham and
Gila counties; Yayapai being the larg-
est goat producing county Of the state.
Cattle ranges are located virtually
all over the desert region, but as a
whole the ranges there are very
treacherous. The annual carrying ca
paeity of the desert ranges is not
great In some sections where browse
is plentiful and water can be devel-
oped from wells at frequent intervals
cattle are maintained, but generally
supplementary feeding or removal of