FOREST AND RANGE RESOURCES OF UTAH 23 



underground stems and later develop into new plants. A few plants 

 send out stems above ground that bend over to the ground, take root, 

 and become new plants. Examples of such plants are tame or wild 

 strawberries {Frag aria) , some of the rushes or wire grass (J uncus), 

 and snowberry (Symphoriearpos) . 



By far the largest proportion of range plants depend upon seeds 

 for reproduction. Except in unusual cases, such as very severe 

 climatic conditions, fires, or very intense competition for existence 

 in a habitat, plants produce good crops of seed. 



CARRYING CAPACITY AND STOCKING OF THE RANGE 



PALATABILITY OF PLANTS TO LIVESTOCK 



Grazing animals have a large variety of plants from which to 

 choose. Some plants taste better than others, and the animals are 

 very selective in their choice of foods. They make these choices 

 with remarkable regularity. They will almost completely devour 

 certain species, eat a somewhat regular percentage of other plants, 

 and consistently leave other species untouched. This means that 

 while some plants are being grazed 100 per cent other plants are 

 being grazed 80 per cent or 65 per cent or not at all. 



If the number of stock on the range is decreased, the utilization 

 of all the plants and especially the less palatable ones is decreased. 

 If the number of stock is increased, of course the most palatable 

 plants can not be used more than 100 per cent, but the utilization of 

 the rest of the plants is increased. Attempts at further utilization 

 after 100 per cent of the foliage of important plants has been con- 

 sumed are apt to injure these plants by trampling. 



The same plant species sometimes varies in palatability in dif- 

 ferent regions. Some plants are more palatable during one part 

 of the season than during another. In some cases the reason for 

 this is very apparent. The plants may become tough or grow long 

 awns or beards, as the season progresses. In other cases the seasonal 

 variation in palatability is not so easy to understand. For instance, 

 stock generally do not eat much of the red elder, niggerhead 

 (Rudbeckia occidentalis) , and several other plants until toward 

 fall. 



Men have observed the choices of livestock for plants over long 

 periods of time and have rated the plants according to their palata- 

 bility to different kinds of stock. Horses, cattle, sheep, and goats 

 differ more or less in the plants they relish and in the character of 

 the country on which they like best to graze. Horses prefer grasses 

 and, if possible, they range on the more open grassy ridges and 

 slopes. Cattle also seem to prefer the grasses and grasslike plants, 

 but prefer to range on the meadows and grassy parks. They also 

 relish and do very well on many of the browse plants and some of 

 the more choice weeds. Goats thrive best on browse. They can 

 utilize the forage on steep, brushy slopes that are not adapted to 

 other kinds of stock. Sheep also like browse forage and are espe- 

 cially fond of the fresh, succulent herbs such as the bluebells (Mer- 

 tensia). Sheepmen prefer to have succulent forage for their ewes 

 and lambs in the summer because it produces large milk-fat lambs 

 which command a high price on the market. 



