FOREST AND RANGE RESOURCES OF UTAH 33 



it is not necessary to keep cattle off the range until the browse and 

 weeds are read} 7 . Cattle will graze almost entirely upon the grass 

 during the forepart of the season. If browse and weeds are more 

 important than the grass, the time of grazing should be delayed 

 until the browse and weeds are ready. 



The following are the generally accepted stages of plant develop- 

 ment indicating vegetational readiness : 



The important grasses should be from 6 to 10 inches in height. 

 Sandberg's and Fendler's bluegrasses should be in blossom. Downy 

 brome (Bromus tectorum) should be starting to head. Bitter brush, 

 snowberry, birch-leaf mountain-mahogany, choke-cherry, rose, cur- 

 rant, and service berry should be in full leaf, or nearly so. Service 

 berry should be starting to blossom. Balsam root, Indian paint- 

 brush, and dandelion should be largely in flower. Geranium should 

 be 3 or 4 inches high. The seed stalks of yarrow should be forming. 



Some plants that are not good forage plants may be used as indi- 

 cators of vegetational readiness. The seeds of Indian potato 

 (Orogenia lineatrifolia) , and dogtooth violet {Erythronium parvi- 

 florum) should be mature and the leafage dried or drying. The 

 flowers of springbeauty (Glaytonia lanceolata) and yellow bell or 

 crocus (Fritillaria jmdica) should be gone, and the leafage mostly 

 dried up. Phlox should be in full flower. Generally yellow violet 

 should be starting to dry up and wilt. 



_ A number of species should be considered in determining vegeta- 

 tional readiness. The more important plants used as indicators, the 

 more reliable will be the results. 



Generally ranges are ready for grazing about three or four weeks 

 after active plant growth has begun. 



The development of forage on the ranges is extremely irregular. 

 Every thousand feet increase in elevation makes a difference of 

 from 10 days to 2 weeks in the development of the vegetation, other 

 conditions being the same; consequently plants may be on a south 

 exposure but still be late developing if they are at a high elevation. 

 There is much variation in the development of plants in different 

 years. The plants may develop as much as three weeks earlier in 

 an early spring than in a late spring. 



Sometimes conditions justify early use of the range, even though 

 it is realized that damage is being done. The forage available for 

 winter feed may be limited and no spring pastures available for 

 holding the livestock until the ranges are ready. Some ranges 

 become too hot and dry during the late spring and summer for 

 grazing. Sometimes the only practical way to utilize the forage on 

 such ranges is to place stock on them early in the spring. Such use 

 seems entirely justified. Much of the low foothill range and range 

 bordering the deserts is of this character. Some of this range does 

 not suffer from the early use if a part of the spring growing season 

 is still left after the stock leave, for during the remainder of the 

 season the plants are able to recuperate and mature enough seed 

 to maintain themselves. 



On much of the range land, however, spring control of livestock 

 is urgently needed, and can be applied. Just as far as is practical, 

 livestock should be fed on the farms and ranches, or early foothill 



4166°— 30 3 



