CIRCULAR 870, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



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5/%%/' F< J0TH!LL RANGE 



^ SAN JOAQUIN exPERIMENTAL RANGE 







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Figure 1. — Approximate location of foothill range in California. 



The foothill range area includes the sloping plains and rolling hills 

 bordering the valleys and extends upward through hills of rolling-to- 

 steep topography; elevation varies from near sea level to about 4,000 

 feet; the soils are exceedingly diverse; and total annual precipitation 

 ranges from less than 10 inches in the plains at the south end of the San 

 Joaquin Valley to more than 40 inches in the upper foothills at the north 

 end of the Sacramento Valley. 



Local demand for livestock products has increased as a result of 

 rapid growth of population, and the California livestock industry is 

 increasingly aware of the need for both the fullest sustained production 

 of forage and the greatest efficiency in its use. The goal is to obtain 

 high livestock production while maintaining or improving the forage 

 cover. The long-time objective of management is to obtain the most 

 productive mixture of the best forage plants, including both perennials 

 and annuals. But over millions of acres the immediate problem of live- 



