The West 13 
regions, while to the south the sage-brush is replaced 
by the chaparral and other similar shrubs. Scattered 
through it all is some grass, the species varying with the 
locality. In these dry climates there is a marked tend- 
ency for the grass to grow in clumps or bunches instead 
of scattering over the entire surface as a sod. This 
bunching tendency gives the name of “bunch-grass” to 
the grasses grown in such a climate. The name “bunch- 
grass,” therefore, is not the name of any particular species 
or variety. The feed on western ranges is not confined to 
the grasses, but is supplemented by the innumerable 
weeds and shrubs. In the mountains there is a great 
abundance of miscellaneous plants which afford some 
grazing In the lower altitudes the stock eat little ex- 
cept grass during the summer, but consume large quan- 
tities of sage-brush and other browse in the winter when 
the grass is all gone or covered with snow. 
Carrying capacity. 
The western ranges are at the best of low carrying 
capacity, but the enormous area makes up for the small 
production of each acre. An apparently large ranch in 
the range country may support but a limited amount of 
stock and produce only a very moderate income. 
The extent to which the Forest Reserves of the West 
are grazed is shown by the accompanying table: 
1The number of these forage plants, as well as of the grasses, 
is too great to permit discussion of them in this book. Readers: 
desiring more complete information of range plants should refer 
to such works as ‘‘ Western Grazing Grounds,’’ by W. C. Barnes, 
or to the various technical bulletins put out by the United 
States Department of Agriculture and by the experiment stations 
of the western states. 
