OWNERSHIP OF THE RANGE 395 



plains because there is more moisture. There is a greater variety 

 of feed; hence, foothill and mountain districts are more suitable 

 for growing and fattening lambs than the plains. In fact, lambs 

 are almost never sold for mutton directly from the plains while 

 those grown on the best mountain ranges frequently attain suitable 

 condition and weight for slaughter when only four and five months 

 of age (Figs. 222 and 223). 



Cultivated Areas. — In a few regions cultivated areas are utilized 

 as sheep range. In California, alfalfa fields, wheat stubble, and 

 even vineyards, serve for a part of the year as feeding grounds. 

 After the last crop of grapes has been harvested for the year in 

 the great vineyards around Hanford and Fresno, sheep are turned 

 in to feed on the leaves. On the whole this practice is regarded 

 as beneficial to the vines, for the sheep consume the thrips, little 

 insects that would do a great deal of damage later through their 

 attacks on the new foliage (Fig. 224). 



In many places the winter range is supplemented by harvested 

 crops. There are two reasons for this practice : First, there are 

 storm periods during which the snow is so deep that the sheep can 

 not get to the feed on the range; and second, owners frequently 

 do not have enough winter range to carry their sheep. In recent 

 years, carloads of corn from Kansas and Nebraska have been sold 

 for winter feed to the sheepmen on the eastern slope of the Eockies, 

 and now cottonseed cake is becoming so popular that in various 

 places in the northern part of the Eocky Mountains it has almost 

 entirely replaced corn. Alfalfa hay is used extensively in Washing- 

 ton, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado to 

 supplement the winter range (Fig. 225). 



Ownership of the Range. — ^The ranges consist of public do- 

 main, Kational Forest, Indian reservations, reclamation lands, state 

 lands, and lands owned by corporations and by private individuals. 

 The only free land is the public domain. Practically all of this con- 

 sists of plains or winter range, as nearly all of the foothills and 

 mountains not owned by private individuals and by corporations 

 are included in the National Forest. 



The National Forest is under the control of the Department of 

 Agriculture and is in the direct charge of the Forest _ Service. 

 In all cases where sheep are allowed to graze on it, a definite allot- 

 ment is made to the owners and a charge per head fixed for a speci- 

 fied period of grazing. For example, an owner with 5000 ewes 



