26 BULLETIN 580, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Since overgrazing is the cause of the most severe grazing damage. 
it should be avoided by all means. An overgrazed condition may 
exist even though the general appearance of the range does not 
indicate it, as, for instance, on a bunchgrass range allotted to sheep. 
The principal grasses may be largely uneaten, while sheep feed, con- 
sisting of palatable weeds and grasses, and, too often, of yellow-pine 
reproduction, may be largely destroyed. Overgrazing may result 
from allotting too many stock to a range, or from poor distribution 
of a proper number of stock due to lack of sufficient well-located 
watering places, poor salting arrangements, or, in the case of sheep, 
to poor herding. In any case the cause should be determined and 
removed. 
Sheep should not be depended upon primarily to utilize the bunch- 
grass range. This type should be utilized chiefly by cattle and 
horses, held in pastures if possible. On this type, wherever the 
bunchgrass species occur in nearly pure stand during early spring, 
sheep should be run in May and the fore part of June while the 
grasses are tender and most palatable. Where the succulent weeds 
and browse species occur in mixture with the bunchgrasses, sheep 
may be grazed season long together with cattle and horses. 
Sheep should be excluded from cutting areas on which they are | 
causing severe damage until reproduction is well established, usually 
for a period of from 15 to 20 years. They should be excluded also for _ 
a period of from two to five years from cutting areas where the stand 
of reproduction is deficient but has been supplemented by an abun- 
dant crop of seedlings which, having survived the first winter and 
spring, promise to become established, even though injury to the 
reproduction already established is not severe. 
All stock should be worked and handled as little as possible around 
watering places, salting grounds, and headquarter ranches. Sheep 
should be bedded as seldom as possible on any one bed ground, prefer- 
ably for one night only. 
It is very difficult to avoid the damage caused by cattle rubbing. 
In exceptional cases, where complete reproduction is desired within 
a short period, as on a cutting area, flats might be fenced and cattle 
excluded from them during the fly season. However, if overgrazing 
and excessive handling are avoided, it is believed that the damage ~ 
caused by cattle will not be excessive. 
One of the most serious menaces to reproduction as well as to 
forage occurs on stock driveways. Even at best, an excessive number 
of stock must use these strips of range and injury can not be avoided. 
However, all practicable means should be used to conserve the stand 
of forage and by furnishing sufficient feed for the stock using the 
driveways to reduce the injury to reproduction to a minimum. In 
order to accomplish this, it is recommended that driveways be used 
