144 Journal of Agricultural Research voi. in. no. 3 



viable seed until after they have regained their lost vigor, a matter 

 of one or two seasons. On other sparsely vegetated lands, however, a 

 stand of from 15 to 30 seedlings per meter, which is a satisfactory density 

 on most soils, has been secured after the first year of deferred grazing. 



The benefits of deferred grazing are not confined to areas which sup- 

 port plants of strong seed habits or those where the climate is particularly 

 favorable to growth. Though on areas near and above timber line, 

 where most of the forage plants reproduce vegetatively instead of by 

 seed, deferred grazing does not tend to augment vegetation as it does 

 on areas where the plants reproduce by the latter method, it does result 

 in a permanent increase in vigor of the range plants and so promotes 

 vegetative reproduction, which otherwise would be held in check by 

 the premature removal of the herbage each season. In short, given 

 a sufficient number of the original plants, deferred grazing is applicable 

 wherever the vegetation is palatable after the seed crop has ripened and 

 where water facilities will permit the range to be used in the autumn. 



Before the deferred grazing system was thoroughly tried out, certain 

 stockmen maintained that after seed maturity the palatability and 

 nutritiousness of the herbage would be low and therefore that the sea- 

 son's forage crop would not only be wasted, but stockmen might be 

 induced to keep their animals in the mountains until so late in the season 

 that on account of the resultant loss of weight they would not be able 

 to market them direct from the summer range. 



To determine definitely the nutritive value of the forage after seed 

 maturity, chemical analyses were made of the foliage of mountain bunch- 

 grass, first, when the flower stalks were being produced, and again, at 

 the time the seed ripened. The average of the tests showed that the 

 young growing plant is 27.21 per cent richer in ether extract (fat) than 

 the mature plant, while the latter slightly exceeds the former in protein 

 (nitrogen). The mature plant also contains more crude fiber, but 

 since the flower stalks are not consumed after the seeds are ripened 

 that part of each specimen was eliminated from the tests. In com- 

 parison with timothy hay, mature mountain bunch-grass contains 

 94.39 per cent more protein, practically the same amount of ether extract, 

 and 50.45 per cent less crude fiber, the last-named material being prac- 

 tically indigestible. 



Nearly all the leading range plants, particularly the grasses, are 

 grazed during the autumn with relish. It can not be said, however, 

 that they are eaten with the same gusto after seed maturity as when 

 they are growing vigorously. It was found that the first time a band 

 of sheep passed over a matured range of medium density only about 

 half of the forage crop was grazed off. Not until the range was grazed 

 a second or third time was the crop entirely consumed. The vegetation 

 on similar ranges grazed a month earlier was in most cases entirely con- 



