HOW TO RECOGNIZE IMPROVEMENT OR DEPLETION 1 27 



distinct advantage over yearlong protection. Accordingly, de- 

 ferred grazing has all of the advantages of total protection and 

 none of the disadvantages, such as Hmited reproduction from 

 seed and waste of forage during the period required for revegeta- 

 tion. 



USE OF INDICATOR PLANTS 



The species that are increasing on a pasture area, regardless 

 of whether they are mere weeds or palatable forage plants, reveal 

 one of two facts. If the invading plants are lower in the suc- 

 cession than the original or the predominating vegetation, the 

 area is being misused in one or more respects. If, on the other 

 hand, the incoming vegetation is somewhat higher successionally 

 than the type as a whole, the plan of grazing is satisfactory. If 

 undesirable plants are crowding out the more permanent and 

 palatable ones, remedial measures should be adopted with 

 dispatch. 



If the native pasture is not cropped too early in the season, 

 and if its grazing capacity is correctly estimated, the deferred 

 and rotation grazing system may be depended upon to reestab- 

 lish the stand, provided enough of the original desirable plants 

 remain for seed production. Lands that have been so seriously 

 depleted, however, that only first weed stage vegetation remains, 

 can not be revegetated satisfactorily by deferred grazing, for 

 such areas can not be grazed without further serious depletion. 

 Lands in the first weed stage had best be entirely closed to stock 

 until the cover is well advanced into the second weed stage. 



How to Recognize Pasture Improvement or Depletion. — Al- 

 though the primary pasture indicators will serve to determine 

 whether a range is being properly handled, it is necessary to 

 adopt some definite means of noting the changes that are taking 

 place in the plant cover. For this purpose, plots representing 

 the area as a whole should be selected. For accurate work it is 

 necessary to make a rough map of the vegetation growing on the 

 selected areas, but in practice a properly recorded accurate esti- 

 mate of the density and character of the vegetation will suffice. 

 The area should be so located and so carefully staked and labeled 



