134 MISC. PUBLICATION 101, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
In general, big whortleberry varies from poor or worthless to 
fairly good or good for sheep, but is everywhere poor to worthless 
browse for cattle and horses. Its palatability 1s materially en- 
hanced when it occurs on sheep range in connection with an ample 
association of palatable weeds and grass. The species is of chief 
forage significance in Oregon and in the Snake River drainage of 
west-central Idaho where many observers rank it as good, or at 
least fairly good, sheep feed. In Washington Lenzie reports it as 
fair sheep forage in the fall but at other times and for other livestock 
worthless to poor. In central Idaho Martineau and Sparhawk state 
that this shrub appears to be fair sheep browse in early spring, but 
that it is eaten very little after the middle of July. Considerable 
variation exists in the times of greatest palatability, but as a rule 
it is most apt to be grazed either early or late in the season as the 
sheep are entering or leaving the range. This is one of the most 
abundant of the western huckleberries and is highly prized as 
food (27). 
Lowbush blueberry (V. angustifolium, syns. V. pennsylvanicum 
angustifolium, V. pennsylvanicum Lam., not Mill., and Cyanococeus 
pennsylvanicus), is a low warty-branched bush, growing on uplands 
in dry, rocky or sandy soils. It is an eastern species which gets as 
far west as Saskatchewan and is of scant forage significance, but is 
favored as “the early market blueberry.” 
Dwarf whortleberry (V. cespitosum), often called medium or 
small huckleberry, and dwarf bilberry, is one of the commonest and 
best known of western huckleberries. It is a low, spreading shrub 
3 to 12 inches high, which ranges from Labrador to Alaska and south 
to California, Colorado, and the highest peaks of New York and 
New England. Its palatability is very low, often zero, and a detri- 
ment to carrying capacity where the species is abundant. A taller 
form of this species (V. cespitosum arbuscula, syn. V. arbuscula), 
sometimes 18 inches high, occurs from Alaska to California, usually 
erowing in rather moist open pine forests; it is found at lower 
elevations than typical forms of the species, but its palatability 
seems to be no greater. 
Timber-line whortleberry (V. deliciosum), a closely related spe- 
cies of about the same stature as dwarf whortleberry, abundant in 
alpine meadows of the Cascade and Olympic Mountains of Oregon 
and Washington and famous locally for its fruit, is fair summer 
sheep browse. 
Canada blueberry (V. canadense), sometimes called velvetleaf 
blueberry, another eastern species, a bush 6 to 24 inches high, that 
gets as far westward as Saskatchewan on moist mountainous sites, 
is of mediocre forage value. | 
Western bog blueberry (V. occidentale), known also as swamp, or 
western, blueberry, and swamp huckleberry, is a smooth compact 
bush 10 to 36 inches high, with small thin leaves, ranging from 
Montana to southeastern British Columbia, California, and Utah, 
in moist open meadows or bogs at 4,000 to 10,000 feet, but largely 
subalpine. This is one of the more palatable browse species of 
the genus. Although often abundant, it is usually local in distribu- 
tion and utilizable only when the ground dries out enough for graz- 
