PASTURE. 529 



and shoots and bruising young superficial roots, calves jump 

 about and crush saplings and poles. The amount of damage 

 done, however, is modified by the configuration of the ground. 



On level or gently sloping ground the damage done by the 

 tread of cattle is only slight ; on slopes, however, both horned 

 cattle and sheep, when grazing in narrow strips of forest or 

 passing daily in the same direction, make a network of narrow 

 paths, which intersect in all directions on dry slopes where the 

 grass is scanty. The efi'ects of trampling are, however, much 

 worse on steep, damp slopes, with marshy patches, the cattle 

 at each step slipping and making grooves in the surface-soil, 

 and burying every plant in their way. In damp, scantily 

 turfed felling-areas with a deep moist coating of humus, which 

 frequently occur on the north sides of mountains, this kind 

 of damage attains its maximum in the case of hea-vy cattle, 

 after prolonged rainfall ; a very few cattle then suffice to destroy 

 the re-growth on a felling-area. After the soil has settled-down 

 and become overgrown with grass, and the plants are somewhat 

 larger, this form of damage is less formidable. It is obvious 

 that heavy beasts do more damage by their tread than smaller 

 ones. Their degree of hunger is so far influential that, once 

 satisfied, the herd comes into close order, no longer moves 

 leisurely onward and its tread is far more dangerous than when 

 the beasts roam individually in search of fodder. In pasturing 

 cattle on young reproduction-areas, therefore, these peculiarities 

 should be taken into account. 



(c) Money Value of Forest Pasture. 

 It is extremely difficult to ascertain the money value of forest 

 pasture, although this must often be done in order to fix com- 

 pensation for grazing-rights ; a thorough knowledge of all the 

 local circumstances of the case is then essential. The greatest 

 difficulty is to compare the nutritive value of forest pasture with 

 that of hay. This ratio varies considerably, showing that serious 

 errors may be made in roughly estimating the value of forest 

 pasture. The annual value of a right to pasture cattle in a 

 forest can be readily ascertained only in particular cases, by 

 considering how much rent the farmer would have to pay to 

 secure equally good pasturage outside the forest. 



VOL. V. M M 



