USE OF ANNUAL PLANTS IN CALIFORNIA FOOTHILLS 



15 



July and not fed supplements usually gained slowly for part of the 

 summer dry-forage period and lost in weight by the end, the net change 

 being a few pounds loss on the average. 



The most abundant of the finer-stemmed grasses, soft chess and foxtail 

 fescue, are the most widely grazed. Soft chess is the most valuable of 

 the annual grasses at this time because it retains a considerable amount 

 of unshattered seed. Other small grasses and toad rush are also selected 

 but may be limited in amount. The coarser grasses, such as wild oat 

 and ripgut brome, are less readily grazed after they have dried. 



Most of the forbs are of little value after they dry and crumble. Many 

 have coarse, fibrous stems, such as those of the broadleaf filarees, and 

 are not grazed unless cattle are forced to eat them because of a shortage 

 of preferred roughage. Native clovers, redstem filaree or alfileria, and 

 bur-clover are exceptions. The fine-stemmed native clovers have a 

 higher protein content than most dry annual species and are sought by 

 cattle even after the plants start to crumble. Redstem filaree has the 

 highest protein content of any filaree and is often grazed closely after 

 it dries. Mature dry bur-clover, Avith its nutritious burs, averages about 

 15 percent protein, an amount more than necessary to meet minimum 



1935 

 1936 

 1937 

 1938 

 1939 

 1940 

 1941 

 1942 

 !943 

 1944 

 1945 

 1946 

 1947 

 1948 



AV6. 



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Figure 7. — Variations in the length of time that cattle grazed almost entirely on dry 



forage on foothill range. 



requirements of cattle (2, 3). Because it serves as a protein supplement 

 to the other dry plants during the summer and fall, when present in 

 adequate quantity, bur-clover is the most valuable of the annual plants 

 on foothill ranges. 



Vitamin A deficiencies may also occur on dry annual-plant range 

 where there is no browse. Phosphorus deficiencies, which may occur in 

 the natural forage, will usually be met by use of concentrates as supple- 

 mental feeds {12). 



