26 BULLETIN 580, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Since overgrazing is the cause of the most severe grazing damage 

 it should be avoided by all means. An overgrazed condition may 

 exist even though the general appearance of the range does not 

 indicate it, as. for instance, on a bunchgrass range allotted to sheep. 

 The principal grasses may be largely uneaten, while sheep feed, con- 

 sisting of palatable weeds and grasses, and, too often, of yellow-pine 

 reproduction, may be largely destroyed. Overgrazing may result 

 from allotting too many stock to a range, or from poor distribution 

 of a proper number of stock due to lack of sufficient well-located 

 watering places, poor salting arrangements, or. in the case of sheep, 

 to poor herding. In any case the cause should be determined and 

 removed. 



Sheep should not be depended upon primarily to utilize the bunch- 

 grass range. This type should be utilized chiefly by cattle and 

 horses, held in pastures if possible. On this type, wherever the 

 bunchgrass species occur in nearly pure stand during early spring, 

 sheep should be run in May and the fore part of June while the 

 grasses are tender and most palatable. Where the succulent weeds 

 and browse species occur in mixture with the bunchgr asses, sheep 

 may be grazed season long together with cattle and horses. 



Sheep should be excluded from cutting areas on which they are 

 causing severe damage until reproduction is well established, usually 

 for a period of from 15 to 20 years. They should be excluded also for 

 a period of from two to five years from cutting areas where the stand 

 of reproduction is deficient but has been supplemented by an abun- 

 dant crop of seedlings which, having survived the first winter and 

 spring, promise to become established, even though injury to the 

 reproduction already established is not severe. 



All stock should be worked and handled as little as possible around 

 watering places, salting grounds, and headquarter ranches. Sheep 

 should be bedded as seldom as possible on any one bed ground, prefer- 

 ably for one night only. 



It is very difficult to avoid the damage caused by cattle rubbing. 

 In exceptional cases, where complete reproduction is desired within 

 a short period, as on a cutting area, flats might be fenced and cattle 

 excluded from them during the fly season. However, if overgrazing 

 and excessive handling are avoided, it is believed that the damage 

 caused by cattle will not be excessive. 



One of the most serious menaces to reproduction as well as to 

 forage occurs on stock driveways. Even at best, an excessive number 

 of stock must use these strips of range and injury can not be avoided. 

 However, all practicable means should be used to conserve the stand 

 of forage and by furnishing sufficient feed for the stock using the 

 driveways to reduce the injury to reproduction to a minimum. In 

 order to accomplish this, it is recommended that driveways be used 



