GRAZING RESOURCES AND THEIR UTILIZATION 55 



utilize much range that they would not go over if salting 

 grounds were not correctly located. The development of wa- 

 tering places is also a great asset in the proper utilization of 

 the range in this respect. 



Sheep using the summer cattle and mutual ranges use their 

 allotted portions first early in the spring, shortly after lamb- 

 ing, thus supplying the tender feed much needed to keep the 

 ewes in good milk-giving condition, and to supply the lambs 

 with succulent forage which is necessary during the first few 

 months of their existence. On the supply of tender forage at 

 this period depends to a large extent the growth and devel- 

 opment of the lambs. When the snows have melted on the 

 high mountain sheep ranges and the areas at the foot of the 

 mountains, the ewe bands with lambs leave the summer mu- 

 tual ranges for the high summer ranges, where they continue 

 to have an abundance of tender palatable forage. 



In the fall when the sheep have been driven off the high 

 summer ranges by the snow, the ewes and the remaining lambs 

 (some of the lambs having been cut out and sold) are driven 

 back onto the mutual ranges to utilize such portions of the 

 range as have not been fed off by the cattle and horses. 



Though sheep utilize, during the summer months, much of 

 the range previously described, the typical summer sheep 

 range is confined to the high mountains whose difficulty of 

 access and ruggedness precludes the use of the area by other 

 classes of stock, though there are areas especially the basin 

 areas at the head of streams which are covered with ex- 

 cellent forage, and which could be easily utilized by cattle. 



The sheep are driven to the high summer ranges about July 

 1, utilizing first the lower slopes and canyon bottoms, and 

 progressing upward as the heavy winter snows melt, and the 

 forage develops. 



It is rather difficult to make a general classification of the 

 types in this region, but a few of the more important ones will 

 be outlined. First in importance from a forage value standpoint 

 comes the mountain bunch grass type, the principal forage 

 plant of which is mountain bunch grass (Festuca viridula). 



