petition reflected increased live basal area rather than in- 

 creased plant height. 



Each of the treatments, clipping and competition, affect- 

 ed the number of flower stalks produced by Idaho fescue 

 very similarly (figures 2 and 3). Plants clipped heavily and 

 extremely v^hile subjected to the added stress of full competi- 

 tion virtually failed to flov^er. Even under partial competi- 

 tion, plants extremely clipped still produced virtually no 

 flov^er stalks, but the heavily clipped plants produced as 

 many flov^er stalks as the check plants that received no clip- 

 ping and full competition. Flower stalk production was even 

 better under no competition where even the extremely clipped 

 plants produced as many flower stalks as the check plants. 



Reducing natural competition obviously enhances flower 

 stalk production. Eliminating competition permitted a four- 

 fold increase in the number of flower stalks produced by 

 undipped plants; even partially reducing competition in- 

 creased flower stalk production almost as much. 



Flower stalk lengths were affected much less by clipping 

 than were flower stalk numbers (figure 3). The combined 

 detrimental effects of heavy clipping and full competition 

 reduced both maximum and average flower stalk lengths by 

 17 percent. When competition was reduced, only extreme 

 clipping caused a significant reduction in flower stalk lengths. 

 Competition reductions alone did not significantly affect 

 flower stalk lengths. Thus, neither flower stalk lengths nor 

 leaf lengths appear to reflect vigor in Idaho fescue as readily 

 as herbage volume and flower stalk numbers. 



Although none of the fescue plants died under even the 

 most severe treatment, many failed to produce flower stalks 

 (table 1); this was particularly true for plants that were sub- 

 jected to extreme clipping. 



Table 1. — Percentage of Idaho fescue plants producing flower stalks the 

 year following clipping and competition treatments 



Clipping 





Competition 





None 



Partial 



Full 



None 



100 



100 



100 



Heavy 



100 



100 



20 



Extreme 



73 



7 







8 



