NATIVE WOODY PLANTS OF THE UNITED STATES 211 



it that there is variety in forage. Chemical analyses show that the leaves are 

 not a balanced ration for livestock and accordingly, they must be supplemented 

 by grass or other feed. The deciduous species are more nutritive than the 

 evergreen, and are more readily eaten by livestock. 



While most tree oaks are recognized as having timber value, there are many 

 shrubby species that may be profitably utilized for erosion-control planting and 

 wildlife food and cover. These are the species ordinarily classed as scrub oaks. 

 Certain of these are always shrubby, no matter in what site they may be grow- 

 ing. The tree oaks, however, may gradually become reduced in size in moun- 

 tainous or arid regions. So far as known, there are no oaks which can be 

 classed as weeds, although they are occasionally considered to be so in certain 

 localities. Eradication, however, is not difficult 



Many of the species of scrub oaks are thicket forming and some reproduce 

 by stolons. Their growth is generally vigorous, many are evergreen, and as a 

 group are comparatively fast growing. The ability on the part of scrub oaks to 

 form a dense cover rapidly is one which is well known. Altogether there 

 would appear to be few plants that are more admirably adapted for erosion 

 control, coupled with value to livestock, wild mammals, and birds, than the oaks. 



Stomach records (in addition to specific records) : Sixty-three species of birds 

 including ruffed grouse (1 stomach with parts of 24 acorns and many with 10 to 

 20), bobwhite (36 parts of acorns in 1 stomach), Mearn's q\iail, California quail, 

 Gambel quail, wild turkey, plumed quail, sharp-tailed grouse, ring-necked pheas- 

 ant, greater prairie chicken, lesser prairie chicken (50 parts of acorns in 1 

 stomach), and mourning dove; ground squirrel, armadillo, opossum, black-tailed 

 deer ; Louisiana white-tailed deer, muskrat, raccoon, gray squirrel, eastern chip- 

 munk, black bear, gray fox, white-tailed deer, ring-tailed cat, eastern skunk. 

 Composed 4.5 percent of the entire fall food eaten by prairie chicken in Wiscon- 

 sin ; composed 5.0 percent of the winter food of ruffed grouse in the northeastern 

 United States ; composed 2.3 percent of food of 1,725 mallards. It may be noted 

 here that stomach records show such birds as wrens and sparrows to have taken 

 at least one complete acorn and that the comparatively large size of acorns 

 apparently does not prevent even small birds from eating them. 



Observations (in addition to specific records) : Forty-nine species of birds 

 including turkeys, ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, doves ; acorns heavily 

 utilized by lesser prairie chicken in the fall, and oak flowers an important food 

 of the same bird in spring in Oklahoma, ranks sixth on the list of quail food 

 plants of the Southeast ; Merriam turkey ; preferred fall food of prairie sharp- 

 tailed grouse, ruffed grouse, and pinnated grouse ; Mearn's quail ; an important 

 food of band-tailed pigeons; constituted a larger percentage of food of mule 

 deer in the Kaibab National Forest than any other food ; Columbian black- 

 tailed deer ; Texas white-tailed deer ; red fox ; raccoon, porcupine, Mexican rac- 

 coon, peccary, Virginia opossum, snowshoe hare, New Mexico black bear, 

 Olympic black bear, Townsend's chipmunk, Siskiyou chipmunk, Allen's chip- 

 munk, larger Colorado chipmunk, Arizona chipmunk, gray-footed chipmunk, cliff 

 chipmunk, golden-mantled ground squirrel, chestnut-mantled ground squirrel, 

 Douglas ground squirrel, southwestern chipmunk, little northern chipmunk, pale 

 chipmunk, gray chipmunk ; cut for food and building material in times of scarc- 

 ity by beaver ; Merriam's chipmunk ; Douglas' squirrel, Sierra chickaree, digger 

 squirrel, Abert's squirrel, Arizona gray squirrel, rock squirrel, gray squirrel, 

 Carolina fox squirrel, Couch rock squirrel, black-backed rock squirrel, flying 

 squirrels, California gray squirrel. 



Without doiabt there is a much greater number of animals, particularly 

 squirrels and chipmunks, than here listed that feed on acorns. That they have 

 not been recorded in the literature is evidence that acorns are so generally 

 accepted as being food for squirrels and chipmunks that many workers have felt 

 it unnecessary to record utilization. 



ftuercus acuminata, see Quercus tnuhlenbergii, 



ftuercus agrifolia N4e. California live oak. 



Range : 1, 5. 



Site: Dry, well-drained, sun. 

 Fruit : Acorn, annual. 



A large shrub to large tree ; evergreen ; occurs in sand, loam, gravel, and other 

 soils ; attacked by tent caterpillars ; wood of some value as fuel ; a shrub in dry 

 hills (Var. frutescens Engelm.). 

 Observations: California qua^l ; California mule deer. 



