14 



find out which native plants and grasses are the best ones and 

 which ones, native or foreign, can most profitably be sown on 

 Nevada's range lands. In this work we expect the hearty co- 

 operation of sheepmen and cattlemen alike. 



CHARACTER OF GRAZING LANDS. 



Nevada sheep for the most part subsist on the natural vege- 

 tation of the country throughout the entire year, there being usu- 

 ally no hay provided for winter use. Hence the general plan is 

 to graze the sheep in the foothills, open forests and high moun- 

 tains during the summer and in the sagebrush country during the 

 winter, driving them further south only as compelled by the snow. 

 This has led to the distinct classification of the range into ' 'sum- 

 mer range" and "winter range." The latter will not be dealt 

 with in this bulletin as it is a subject of such great importance 

 that especial investigation of this part of the problem must be 

 made at some future time. In general the forage of the winter 

 range consists of a number of different species of sage or sage- 

 brush, such as black sage, white sage, salty sage, spring sage- 

 and shad scale. 



The summer range may be roughly divided into different 

 classes according to the location, altitude, kinds of forage and 

 other vegetation growing upon it, such as, open sagebrush 

 country, open forests, denser forests, high, snow-clad mountains, 

 creeks and valleys. To the herders the plants that the sheep 

 feed on are weeds, brush and grasses. Under the head 

 of " weeds " are placed all the sunflowers, parsleys, tomato 

 plant and plants of a similar character. By "brush" is 

 meant all plants ot a shrubby nature, as the service-berry, snow- 

 berry, buckbrush and willows; and under "grasses" are included 

 the sedges, rushes, reeds and all plants of a grass-like appearance. 



In an average season the bands of sheep will leave their win- 

 ter quarters about the middle of March, or earlier, and gradually 

 work northward to one of the permanent ranches or camps, where 

 facilities for shearing an,d dipping are to be found. During the 



