SHEEP 367 



Probably _more feed is wasted by trampling than is eaten. This, 

 however, is not so injurious to the range as if it were eaten off close 

 and the forage plants destroyed permanently. In no place on the 

 home ranges had the grasses suffered from trampling and overstock- 

 ing to such an extent as shown by Dr. Griffiths in his investigation 

 in the Steins mountains in Oregon. This may be accounted for by 

 the facts that usually the sheep only feed over the ground once ex- 

 cept in the vicinity of the sheepherder's camp. Sometimes a lazy 

 or incompetent herder will bring his sheep back to his cooking camp 

 every evening so that they may be more easily watched and he may 

 not have so far to go for his meals. A few instances of this kind were 

 noticed which showed that the soil was ground up into a fine powder 

 and the plants eaten and trampled upon excessively. Cattle had 

 done considerable damage along the creeks where they went daily 

 for water for many months in the year by trampling many paths 

 in their journey to and fro. The soil is not merely loosened in these 

 cases but innumerable paths, from one to three inches deep, are cut 

 into the ground making it impossible for any vegetation to grow 

 in them. The nature of the soil on much of the region investigated 

 is such that, when loosened by the feet of the sheep, it forms a sort of 

 sponge which readily soaks up the summer rains, and, when this is 

 not carried to excess, it is an easy means of cultivation which aids 

 rather than retards the future growth of the plant. There are some 

 steep hillsides, however, which cannot be classed under this head. 

 The soil is of a more gravelly nature and the rains are not readily 

 soaked up by it. Sheep, however, traverse these hillsides in a hori- 

 zontal direction and form narrow trails, while the rains descend 

 perpendicularly, and, beating upon these flattened paths, are hin- 

 dered from making any deep erosions in the hillsides. This was not 

 the case in the Sierras, where the timber had been cut and the soil 

 of a light nature. There the rains cut miniature gorges into the 

 steep banks, which, in time, will form passageways through which 

 the water will rapidly be carried down to the lower levels. 



The plants which appear to have suffered most in this region 

 are those of a shrubby nature, such as the Indian currant or snow- 

 berry, wild currants, rosebushes, service-berry and chokecherry. The 

 sheep are responsible for the most part for the total destruction of 

 numerous Indian currant, wild currant and rose bushes. They eat 

 them extensively duing the fall months, feeding on the leaves and 

 tender young shoots until finally the main stems die and a bunch of 

 dry sticks remains. Cattle, however, are exceedingly destructive to 

 the service berry and chokecherry. While lazily enjoying the shade 

 of the willows along the creeks during the heat of the day before 

 ascending the higher mountains to feed on the bunch grasses, they 

 seem to enjoy nibbling at the young twigs of these bushes until, 

 as in the case with the currant and rose bushes, the main stems re- 

 fuse to send forth any shoots and gradually die back. Many thou- 

 sands of dry sticks from four to seven feet high were seen, being 

 remnants of once healthy son-ice berry and chokecherry bushes. 

 Several plant-, such as the poverty weed (Iva axillaris) and the 



