STOCKING NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS SHEEP RANGE 



13 



Table 4. — Utilization of important forage species under various rates 

 of stocking, by species and season, 1939-41 





Heavilv stocked 



- 



Conservatively 

 stocked 



Lightly stocked 



Species and graz- 





















ing season 



Aver- 







Aver- 







Aver- 









age 



Plants 



Utili- 



age 



Plants 



Utili- 



age 



Plants 



Utili- 





stub- 



grazed 



zation 



-nib- 



grazed 



zation 



stub- 



grazed 



zation 





ble 







ble 







ble 







- 





Per- 



Per- 





Per- 



Per- 





Per- 



Per- 



Blue grama: 



Cm. 



cent 



cent 



Cm. 



cent 



cent 



Cm. 



cent 



cent 



1939 



1.6 



56 



39 



1. 6 



51 



29 



1. 6 



27 



16 



1940 



1. 1 



59 



47 



1. 8 



42 



29 



1. 5 



42 , 31 



1941 



1. 1 



60 



46 



1.4 



41 



29 



1.5 



23 



15 



Average 



1.3 



58 



44 



1. 6 



45 



29 



1. 5 



31 



21 



Bluestem wheat- 





















grass: J 





















1940 



5.5 



60 



41 



6. 1 



29 



18 



5. 1 



37 



26 



1941 



4.8 



65 



48 



6. 9 



41 



22 



7. 1 



28 



17 



Average 



5.2 



63 



45 



6.5 



35 



20 



6. 1 



33 



22 



Threadleaf sedge: 





















1939 



2. 2 



56 



28 



2.3 



46 



17 



2. 7 



34 



12 



1940 



1. 9 



58 



43 



2.4 



36 



25 



2. 7 



23 



15 



1941 



2. 2 



49 



35 



1. 9 



18 



14 



2.3 



11 



8 



Average 



2. 1 



54 



35 



2. 2 



33 



19 



2.6 



23 



12 



1 Grazing use in 1939 too light to be estimated. 



Blue grama received greater use every year in the heavily stocked 

 pastures than in the others. Stubbles varied only slightly but a 

 higher percentage of plant numbers were grazed under heavy stocking. 



Grazing use of bluestem in all situations was so light in 1939 that 

 it could not be precisely estimated by available techniques. During 

 the last 2 years of grazing, the comparative use as between pastures 

 followed about the same trend described for blue grama. Without 

 exception, however, bluestem grazing was most prevalent in the fall 

 and if the season had extended beyond November, heavier use of this 

 species would undoubtedly have resulted in all pastures. Stubbles on 

 grazed plants showed more height variation than did those of blue 

 grama, but this was greatly overshadowed by the wider spread in 

 percentage of plant numbers grazed. 



Threadleaf sedge, like other species, was grazed most in the heavily 

 stocked pasture. Stubbles were low in all pastures but over 50 per- 

 cent more individual plants were grazed on the heavily stocked pasture 

 than in the conservatively stocked pasture. 



In general, all species were most relished by the yearling ewes when 

 the plants were young, green, and tender. Green forage was grazed 

 when available, regardless of the amount and kind of cured forage 

 present. In spring the sheep traveled excessively in search of the 

 first green plants although a large amount of cured forage was avail- 

 able. A few species, mostly perennial grasses that started growth in 



