24 



CIRCULAR 884, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



One effect of pocket gophers on a few plant species was not brought 

 out by measurement of the vegetation. Kentucky bluegrass on meadow 

 A, for example, maintained a good stand on areas where pocket gophers 

 were abundant, even though it was heavily used by them. The gophers 

 worked on the established colonies of bluegrass, leaving only a few liv- 

 ing plant fragments. These fragments in time spread and replaced the 

 old stand on the newly worked soil. As a result, the location of bluegrass 

 colonies on the meadow shifted from place to place, and there was an 

 over-all increase in the total amount. 



Table 4. — Average density 1 of vegetation, by class and species, on grazed 



and ungrazed plots of meadow A on which pocket gophers were 



introduced in 1940 



Ungrazed Plot 



Class and species 



1940 



1943 



1945 



1946 



1947 



1948 



Perennial glasses: 



Pet. 



1.69 

 .03 

 .97 



1.44 

 .56 

 .28 



1.47 



Pet. 

 0.66 

 1.93 



1.00 

 .53 



.09 



1.88 



.19 



Pet. 

 1.06 

 3.44 



1.59 

 .72 



.03 

 2.13 



.28 



Pet. 



0.88 

 2.38 



1.62 



AA 



(2) 



1.22 

 .18 



Pet. 



0.69 

 2.03 



1.72 

 .25 



(2) 



1.88 

 .37 



Pet. 

 0.53 



Bluegrass, Kentucky 



Bluegrass, Sandberg 



Brome, mountain 



4.16 



1.78 



.28 



Needlegrass, Lemmon . . . 



Oniongrass, little 



Wheatgrass, slender 



Other 



1.94 



.75 







Total 



6.44 



6.28 



9.25 



6.72 



6.94 



9.44 









.22 



.09 

 .44 



.09 

 1.00 



(2) 



.09 

 .53 



.06 

 .69 









.06 





.84 









Annual weeds:: 



Collinsia, littleflower 



Tarweed. cluster 



Other 



.09 



.40 



.38 



.09 



1.91 



2.00 

 .44 



.47 

 1 22 



.06 



.88 



.09 



.75 







Total 



.4.) 



2.38 



2.44 



1.69 



.94 



.84 







Perennial forbs or weeds: 



2.63 



.78 



2.9:, 



.03 



2.97 



3.3S 



1.62 



.03 

 .03 

 .16 

 .62 

 .16 

 2.00 

 .49 



.16 

 1.09 



.62 



5.88 



.16 



2.81 



2.94 



.84 



.12 



(2) 



.22 



.22 



1.22 



.12 



.16 

 2.98 



3.00 



3.22 

 2.22 



.28 



.31 



.03 



.37 



.19 



2.19 



.14 



.03 

 5.62 



1.03 

 2.59 

 .06 

 3.75 

 2.62 



.44 

 .09 

 .28 

 .12 



(2) 



.22 



.09 



1.50 



(2) 



6.69 



.88 



(2) 



4.53 

 2.59 



.25 

 .09 

 .25 

 .22 

 .03 

 .12 

 .06 

 1.78 







6.66 



Biscuitroot, bicolor 



Bistort. American 



Bluebell, small 



2.16 



Checkermallow, Oregon . 



4.12 

 2.56 



Clover, longstalk 



Dandelion, common 



Fleabane 



.12 



.06 



Groundsel, Columbia . . . 



Penstemon, royal 



Vetch 



.47 



.28 



(2) 



Violet 



.53 



Wyethia, whitehead 



Yarrow, western 



Other 



.09 

 3.19 



.02 







Total 



17.85 



16.40 



15.09 



18.44 



17.49 



20.26 







Total, all vegetation 



25.00 



25.59 



27.87 



27.47 



26.12 



31.44 



See footnotes at end of table. 



