FARM-STOCK. 165 



Farm - Stock cause damage by nibbling buds, leaves, and 

 shoots ; gnawing and stripping bark ; injuring roots with their 

 hard hoofs and horny feet ; bending back young growth and 

 saplings ; dislodging soil on slopes ; stamping down damp, 

 heavy clay soil, and loosening light sandy soil ; and breaking 

 down the sides of drains. Horses usually prefer the short 

 grass along roadsides to the ranker grass growing inside the 

 woods ; but they are fond of young foliage and shoots, which 

 they can strip to a considerable height, and young horses are 

 fond of gnawing the bark. Their great weight and their iron 

 shoes cause a good deal of damage to young seedlings, and to 

 superficial roots. Sheep, besides feeding on grass, are fond of 

 nibbling young leaves and shoots, and often do considerable 

 damage when frequently grazed in any one wood, their tread 

 tending to break up loose sandy soil only thinly overgrown with 

 grass or weeds. But Cattle only browse on leaves and twigs 

 when grass and other herbage are scanty ; and then they bend 

 down strong saplings under their chests to reach the foliage, 

 loosen and dislodge soil on hill-slopes, and damage young growth 

 with their hard horny feet. But the grazing of cattle may be 

 of use where there is a strong growth of grass in young pole- 

 woods. Young cattle, horses, or sheep do more damage than 

 old beasts. Even where grass and herbage are plentiful, they 

 nibble young timber-crops from wantonness and when changing 

 their teeth. If cattle in thin condition are grazed in woods after 

 being poorly fed in winter, they do much damage to the young 

 plantations, as they greedily devour all they can. 



The extent of damage varies mainly according to the kind 

 of animal grazed, but also depends on the nature and age of the 

 timber-crop, the soil and situation, the number of the animals 

 grazed, and the time and manner of their being herded in the 

 woods. Different kinds of trees suffer to a different extent, as 

 grazing animals usually prefer the foliage of broad-leaved trees 

 to that of Conifers, and only browse on the latter in the absence 



