Table 1. Relative preference by cattle for thirteen seeded and two native 



grass species as measured by percent of plants grazed 



Species 



Percent plants 



grazed 



l£ weeks of grazing 



i 



3 weeks of grazing 



Seeded grasses 



Group I 



Group I 



Intermediate wheatgrass 



Russian wildrye 



Orchard grass 



Meadow brome 



Smooth brome, Lincoln 



Pubescent wheatgrass 



Tall oatgrass 



92,0 

 87.-8 

 87.-7 



OL , 



80,0 

 77c2 

 77 



Group II 



99 .0 

 97.1 

 94,3 



Q 1 1 



89. 3 

 92. 2 



Crested wheatgrass 

 Green needlegrass 

 Slender wheatgrass 



69 . 9 

 65.2 

 61.9 



84.7 

 83,0 

 81, 6 





Group III 



Group II 



Big bluegrass 

 Western wheatgrass 



52,4 

 49 ■ 2 



73,2 

 74,0 







Group III 



Hard fescue 



25.1 



49. 



Native grasses 







Thickspike wheatgrass 

 Idaho fescue 



26,0 

 14-7 



39.-0 

 18 



Probably the ratings made l£ weeks after grazing started more nearly 

 represent the actual preference by cattle for the various species than 

 ratings made later , This is so because., while there was no shortage of 

 forage at any time during the grazing period,, both seeded and native spe- 

 cies were more abundant and available at the start of grazing than later. 



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