PASTURES ON THE RANGE. 443 



power of the ranges are the following: 1. Injury 

 from close grazing. 2. Injury from the treading of 

 animals while grazing. 3. Injury from too constant 

 grazing. 



On many parts of the range, the conditions are such 

 that under the most favored treatment, the grasses have 

 to struggle for existence, when cropped closely because 

 of that inseparable relation which exists between top 

 and root development. The shade which the grasses 

 provide for themselves, when undisturbed is removed, 

 • and the hot sun so saps away the moisture that more 

 or less of the plants succumb. 



Far greater, however, is the injury from treading, es- 

 pecially is this true of soils, which readily . disinte- 

 grate. The treading of animals upon them turns them, 

 more or less, into dust and the plants perish. These 

 results follow more readily and certainly from the 

 grazing of sheep, than from the grazing of cattle, and 

 they are intensified with increase in the range flocks. 

 They not only feed closely together, but they are con- 

 stantly on the move. When they huddle together in 

 the heat of the day, in order to get the head lowered 

 into the shade, furnished by the bodies of their fellows, 

 they still keep up the movement of the feet. In those 

 light and dry soils, the grasses are thus trodden out of 

 existence. Through such grazing wide stretches of 

 range lands, where growth at the best was almost peril- 

 ous, have been turned for the time being into deserts. 

 The sheep has been characterized as the animal with 

 the golden hoof and justly so, because of the beneficial 

 influence which' it has ordinarily on pastures, in clean- 



