29 



the ranges around Webber Lake, usually in company with the 

 big sunflower and tomato plant. It was noticed that the sheep 

 ate a considerable quantity of it, but the herders were inclined to 

 believe that the quality of the feed was poor. The plant can be 

 readily distinguished from the other sunflowers by the narrowness 



of its leaves and smaller flowers. 







FREMONT'S DAISY AND ROUGH-LEAVED DAISY. 

 (Aster Fremontii, Gray.) {Aster integrifolia, Nutt.) 



PL. VIII. PL* IX, 



These two daisies formed the main sheep forage on the hill- 

 side and mountain meadows on Mr. Talbot's range. The leaders 

 in the band of sheep hurry along picking off the flowers; those 

 following eat the leaves and steins until nothing is left of the 

 plants but the roots. Before the sheep are turned into a meadow 

 of this kind it has the appearance of a field of small blue daisies, 

 while by evening not a flower can be seen. The two species 

 resemble each other very closely and grow side by side. Fre- 

 mont's daisy predominates, and is about a foot high, with small, 

 light blue flowers, while the rough-leaved daisy is somewhat 

 coarser, with larger leaves, coarser flowers and a few inches taller. 

 These t\vo daisies are valuable forage plants. Owing to the moist 

 locations in which they grow, but little injury, if any, is occa- 

 sioned by grazing year after year. The soil in these meadows is 

 compact and not easily washed or disturbed, so that the roots are 

 left uninjured and able to send up strong stems and leaves every 

 year. As the flowers are eaten off, however, and hence the seed, 

 no chance is left for the seed to be distributed and the plants 

 established in other locations with similar conditions. 



Some other species of daisy were noticed to be eaten by the 

 sheep, but they did not occur in sufficient quantity to be consid- 

 ered of any practical value as forage. 



YARROW WILD TANSY. 



(Achillea millefolium, Linn.) 

 This plant is common in the Sierra Nevadas visited, up to 



