GRAZING AND FOEAGE PRODUCTION ON NATIONAL FORESTS 53 



The high succulence and comparatively low nutritive quality of 

 young herbage sometimes cause serious livestock losses early in the 

 spring. It is of the greatest importance, therfore, that the animals 

 should not be admitted to the range until the forage is sufficiently 

 developed to furnish herbage of good food value. 



The crude protein contained in young herbage is largely in the 

 amido stage, so is c^ssimilated by livestock only to a slight degree. 

 In the more developed leafage the protein occurs in the form of 

 amino acids, in which form it is completely assimilated by the ani- 

 mal. Moreover, considerably less' digestible nutrients of all kinds 

 are contained in the young leafage than in that more fully de- 

 veloped. 



Any cropping which results in the reduction of the aerial growth 

 is reflected in the root development and in the quantity of food stored 

 in the underground parts. Poor development of the root system re- 

 sults in the production of a correspondingly small quantity of herb- 

 age the following season. 



The grasses are of primary value as forage plants for the reason 

 that they withstand grazing better than most other vegetation. The 

 growing point of the leaf blade is at the base, and if the plant is 

 physiologically strong the leafage can be nipped off without arrest- 

 ing growth. The leafage of a few other herbaceous plants is pro- 

 duced in a similar manner. Where the leaf expansion is uniform 

 throughout the entire area the total consumption of the leafage 

 practically arrests further development of the leaves eaten. 



Attempts at artificially reseeding the plains and the drier foot- 

 hills to cultivated forage plants have given results of no practical 

 value. The possibility of successfully reseeding to valuable culti- 

 vated species is considerably greater on mountain meadows and 

 other favorable sites than on drier lands lying at lower elevations. 



Cropping a pasture each year to the maximum of its forage pro- 

 duction is sure sooner or later to cause a sharp decline in its graz- 

 ing capacity. The most successful stockmen are now grazing their 

 ranges on the basis of the quantity of forage produced in the average 

 year, rather than on the maximum yield in the best years. 



Improvement and maintenance of native pasture lands, the forage 

 on which is composed largely of bunch grasses, is dependent upon 

 the periodical production of a fertile seed crop. To insure seed pro- 

 duction of the more palatable forage plants requires prevention of 

 too early grazing, avoidance of overgrazing, and effective control 

 and distribution of stock. Deferred and rotation grazing, which 

 imply the withholding of part of the range from grazing until 

 after seed maturity each year, have given conspicuous results in 

 range reseeding. The results of experimentation showed that reveg- 

 etation on the range was practically as rapid where deferred graz- 

 ing was practiced as where the lands were protected yearlong from 

 foraging animals. 



