SURVEYS OF FOREST RESERVES. 133 



Crane Prairie. — A large natural meadow or series of meadows on the 

 head waters of the main branch of the Deschutes. This is sometimes 

 known on the maps as the West Fork, but more commonly known in the 

 region as the Big Deschutes, or simply Big Eiver. Orane Prairie is 

 the principal source of this river. Early in the season Crane Prairie 

 is too wet for the pasturage of sheep, and in an occasional season sheep 

 can hardly get on it at all. 



Davis Lalce. — Like the following, one of the reservoir sources of the 

 Deschutes. It lies on the line between the counties of Klamath and 

 Crook. The range consists chiefly of meadows lying along the west 

 side of the lake. Early in the season, and sometimes in very wet 

 years throughout the season, the grazing land is so wet that sheep can 

 not be driven upon it. 



Crescent Lalce. — A lake lying about 10 miles southwest of Davis 

 Lake. The range consists mostly of meadows lying to the northeast 

 of the lake, the best known being the one called Sanderson meadows. 



.Diamond Lahe. — A body of water lying immediately west of the 

 summit of the Cascades at the western foot of Mount Thielson and 

 one of the sources of the Umpqua Eiver. It is about 15 miles in a direct 

 line north of Crater Lake. The range consists in part of meadow-land 

 at the south end of the lake, but chiefly, as on the east side of the lake 

 and on the lower slopes of Mount Thielson, of burns. 



Each of the ranges above described is divided into smaller ranges, 

 the names of which it seems unnecessary to detail here, as they are 

 wholly local in their use and do not appear on any maps. 



SHEEP FORAGE. 



In addition to their classification into three kinds of grazing plants — 

 grass, weeds, and browse — the herders make one important distinction 

 in the quality of feed. It is "light" feed, fattening quickly, but pro- 

 ducing a "soft" fat, which is easily lost again if the sheep are compelled 

 to travel long distances, or it is "strong" feed, not fattening so rapidly, 

 but producing a "hard" fat, which enables sheep to be driven long dis- 

 tances without losing much in weight. A good packer and herder, 

 where feed is plenty, selects the feeding grounds with these conditions 

 in view, and always puts his sheep in good condition for long drives, 

 in general giving them light feed in the early part of the summer and 

 hardening them toward the close of the season. In general, weeds and 

 swamp grasses are light feed, while the dry-ground bunch grasses, 

 chamise, and acorns are strong feed. Light feed is more abundant in 

 spring, strong feed in the autumn. Light feed is made up chiefly of 

 succulent vegetation containing a preponderance of freshly developed 

 nitrogenous matter; strong feed of vegetation containing a preponder- 

 ance of substances, particularly starch and other carbohydrates, fully 

 elaborated foi* storage purposes in the plant. Light feed is comparable 

 with green fodder, strong feed with grain. 



Sheep, when driven by hunger, will eat almost any green or even dead 

 vegetation, but it is rarely that they reach such a condition in the Cas- 

 cade Eeserve. As a rule they make a distinction in the choice of food 

 from the vegetation over which they range. The following are the 

 plants to which, from their abundance or general suitability, my atten- 

 tion was more particulary drawn : 



Bear grass (Xerophyllum tenax). — The young stems and even the seed 

 pods of this plant are readily eaten by sheep, but the tough leaves are 

 seldom touched, and their rough margins make the mouths of the sheep 

 sore. It was not seen south of Mount Washington. 



