THE WOODLAND OR WINTER RANGE. 29 



plateau section, but do not form a characteristic feature of the 

 woodland. 



Underbrush. — The woodland is frequently fringed with a belt of 

 manzanita (Arctostaphylos) . In the woods there is abundance of 

 underbrush, in which the deer find shelter and on which they browse. 

 It consists principally of hazel (Corylus rostrata calif ornica), poison 

 oak {Rhus diver siloba), cascara sagrada or pigeon berry (Rhamnus 

 calif arnica), mountain rose (Rosa gyrnnocarpa), salal (Gaultheria 

 sJialldn), huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum and V.parvifolium), wild 

 blackbeny (Rubus vitifolius), etc. In certain localities deer brush 

 (Ceanothus integerrimus, C. incanus, and C. velutinus) and a species 

 of service berry (Amelanchier) are found. 



Herbaceous plants. — Grass species and individuals are not abund- 

 ant in the shad} 7 woods, and most of those which occur have sparse 

 foliage, affording but little feed for stock. The species most commonly 

 met with are Bromus l&vipes, Melica bromoides, M. torreyana, and 

 Trisetura canescens. Festuca calif ornica, "vanilla grass " (Savastana 

 macropliyUa) , and Elymus glaucus are not uncommon. 



Other perennial herbaceous plants, such as Aclilys tripliylla, Van- 

 couveria par 'in 'flora, Iris douglasiana, I.purdyi, Viola lobata, Aspidium 

 munitum, Adenocaulon sp., Eriopliyllum spp. , and Brodicea spp. are 

 abundant, but annual plants are comparatively rare. 



Forage plants. — From off this miscellaneous assortment of plants 

 cattle, horses, sheep, and hogs have to "rustle" a living during sev- 

 eral months of the fall and early winter, yet they are said to keep in 

 good condition in spite of the unpromising nature of the forage. 

 Cattle and horses browse on poison oak, hazel, white oak, deer brush, 

 and the few grasses they can find. Sheep freely eat, in addition to 

 the above, the very tough and astringent leaves of the manzanita. 

 This is shown in a striking and very characteristic manner by the neat 

 way in which each bush is trimmed, sheep-head high, and divested of 

 every leaf within reach. 



Hogs find better picking in the woods than do other stock, and are 

 left to run there almost the year round. They are said to live largely 

 on the acorns of the three oaks above mentioned, on chinquapin nuts, 

 pepper nuts (Umbelhdaria californica), madrone, manzanita, and 

 poison- oak berries, the bulbs and tubers of liliaceous and other plants, 

 and on grasses and clovers. In August the manzanita berries ripen, 

 and the hogs feed on them till the poison-oak berries, acorns, and 

 other nuts and fruits mature. By the. time these crops are exhausted 

 the grasses and clovers are fit for food and continue till the end of 

 June. July is the month of poorest hog feed, and it is necessary to 

 provide corn or grain till the manzanita berries are again ripe, in 

 August. 



The acorns of the white oak are said to make the best and sweetest 

 feed and to produce the best bacon, but the crop is very uncertain. 

 The tan oak is the most reliable acorn producer. 



