FOREST PASTURE. 41 



The relative damage done to forests by European grazing 

 animals has been estimated as follows by Hundeshagen : 

 Horse's foal . . . 150 

 Horse . , . .- . 100 



Young cattle v * . 75 

 Old cattle . -. ; ' . 50 

 Goat . ' . . . . 25 7 

 Sheep '^' i * 15 



This list is drawn up on the understanding that the animals 

 are freely grazing in forests where the crowns of the trees 

 have grown beyond their reach. The fact that the goat is 

 only estimated to do a quarter the damage of the horse does 

 not controvert the former statement of its being relatively to 

 its size the most harmful beast, for its weight is only about 

 l-14th of that of the horse. 



(8) Number of Cattle admitted to the Forest. 



The number of cattle admitted to graze in a forest must be 

 regulated by the species and amount of herbage available ; it 

 should be so fixed that the latter is sufficient to nourish the 

 cattle, or else they are certain to attack the trees. 



Hundeshagen has calculated for the complete nourishment 

 of large milch cattle for the whole summer, night and day, 

 that 10 to 12J acres of good pasture is required ; for merely 

 grazing by day, 2J 5 acres, and he reckons 2 to 8 young 

 cattle or 10 sheep as equivalent to one head of full-grown 

 cattle. He estimates for their daily requirements, 18 20 Ibs. 

 of hay for a cow weighing four hundredweight, 10 to 12J Ibs. 

 per head of young cattle, and Ij 2 Ibs. for a sheep. In 

 Switzerland, one cow is usually reckoned to eat as much as 

 seven sheep. 



(9) Season of the Year. 



In Europe the greatest amount of damage is done to forests 

 by grazing in the spring, when the young leaves and shoots 

 are most tempting and the herbage scanty. The strong 

 appetite and restlessness of the beasts after the long winter 

 stalling has also to be considered. The least damage is done 



