PLA]!^T SUCCESSION" AND EANGE MAN-AGEMENT. 



43 



cerned, much higher utilization will foe obtained by cropping the 

 second- weed-stage cover by sheej) than by cattle and horses. 



Table 4. — Comparative palatahility and forage vaJne of the plants cJiaracteristiG 



of the second ivecd stage. 



Plant. 



Palatability. 



Sheep. 



Cattle. 



Horses. 



Abundancc.i 



Aster 



Bladder pod 



Blue foxglove 



Butterweed 



Cinquefoil 



E veniag primrose 



False cymopterus 



Geranium 



Horsemint 



Large mountain brome grass. . 



Low pea vine 



Mexican dock 



Mountain dandelion 



Mountain rock cress 



Nodding brome grass 



Onion grass 



Peppergrass 



Plantain 



Rubberweed 



Sampson's mertensia 



Scarlet gilia 



Scribner's wheat grass 



Showy onion grass 



Sneezeweed 



Sweet sage 



Tongue-leaved violet 



Yarrow 



Medium 



Low 



Medium 



High 



Medium 



do 



Low 



Medium 



Low 



High 



Medium 



do 



High 



Low 



High 



Low 



do 



Medium 



Objectionable. 



High 



Medium 



Low 



do 



Objectionable. 



Medium 



do 



High 



Low 



Negative 



Low 



Medium.- 



Low - - - 



do 



Negative 



Low 



do 



High 



Low 



do 



Medium 



Negative 



High ...- 



Medium 



Negative 



Low... 



Objectionable . 



High 



Low 



Medium 



do....-.-.. 



Objectionable . 



Low 



.do. 



Medium. 



Negative 



do 



do., 



Low 



Negative 



do 



do 



Low 



Negative 



High 



Low 



Negative.. 



Low 



Negative 



High 



Medium 



Negative 



do 



Objectionable. 



Low 



Negative 



Medium 



do 



Objectionable. 



Negative 



do 



Low 



Moderately dense. 



Scattered.- 



Dense. 



Scattered. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 

 Moderately dense. 

 Scattered. 

 Moderately dense. 



Do. 

 Very scattered. 

 Scattered. 

 Very scattered. 

 Scattered. 



Do. 

 Very scattered. 



Do. 

 Scattered. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 

 Dense. 

 Scattered. 

 Dense. 



1 Abundance as here used takes into account the size of the jrfant and its herbage production as well as 

 the density in which it occurs. 



FORAGE PRODUCTION. 



As compared with the porcupine-grass-yellow-brush consociation, 

 the carrying capacity, acre for acre, is notably less on the foxglove- 

 sweet-sage-yarrow type, regardless of the class of stock grazed. Even 

 if used by sheep, the more superior second-weed-stage type will 

 probably support only 50 per cent as many year after year without 

 injury to the range, as will an equally desirable cover of the porcu- 

 pine grass and yellow brush. In the absence of a sufficient stand of 

 grasses and other desirable late-maturing plants the herbage of the 

 second-weed stage is highly succulent ; and while palatable and con- 

 ducive to the production of large gains in the case of sheep it does 

 not produce fat which is as solid or as permanent as that which 

 characterizes the condition of the animal when it eats a fair bal- 

 ance of grasses and of other late-maturing plants. Cattle and 

 horses little more than maintain their weight on a range distinctly 

 in the second- weed stage. The acreage required per cow is propor- 

 tionately much greater on a range in the second- weed stage than on 

 a porcupine-grass-yellow-brush cover or on a wheat-grass area. Rela- 

 tively little of the palatable feed is grazed either by sheep or cattle 

 after the plants reach maturity or after killing frosts have occurred. 



