72 WESTERN GRAZING GROUNDS AND FOREST RANGES 



taken over rough trails and across swaying bridges 

 above swift mountain streams where to the novice noth- 

 ing less than a goat could be made to go. For the short 

 time in which they can be used they support a tremen- 

 dous number of stock, and the saving grace in it all is 

 that very point the short season. Otherwise they 

 would long ago have been worn out and ruined beyond 

 hope. 



Spring Ranges. In the Southwest and on the Pacific 

 Coast they have a range known as the spring range. 

 One of the best types of this spring range is the foot- 

 hill region along the Sierras back of the great San 

 Joaquin plains in southern California. These ranges are 

 invaluable to sheepmen as lambing grounds, and to cat- 

 tlemen for their early beef. Given a good winter with 

 the average amount of rainfall, and early in March these 

 ranges come out in the most attractive green. The feed 

 for the most part is foxtail (Hordeum murinum), bronco 

 grass (Bromus rubens), poverty grass (Aristida rever- 

 choni) and of course alfileria (Erodium spp.). 



None of these grasses has any great feeding value 

 once they are ripe, careful analysis showing them devoid 

 of fat and muscle-producing elements. But when green 

 they are splendid forage plants and stock thrives on 

 them, putting on fat very rapidly. The carrying capacity 

 of these spring ranges is great, owing to the rapidity 

 with which the plants grow when fed off. When dry 

 foxtail is a pest, but green it is great feed. In California 

 they say that it was originally brought into the country 

 from Australia with a shipment of sheep. Since then 

 it has spread rapidly, and once it takes a range no 

 amount of grazing seems to hurt it, nor does it -ivc way 

 to any other plant but rather chokes out even so good 



