CATTLE AND SHEEP DIETS 425 their reaction under moderate graz- Trend of carbohydrate reserves in SPRAGUE, V. G., AND J. T. SULLIVAN. ing use. Plant Physiol. 10:727-738. alfalfa, smooth bromegrass, and tim- 1950. Reserve carbohydrates in or- MCCARTY, E. C., AND R. PRICE. 1942. othy grown under various cutting chard grass clipped . periodically. Growth and carbohydrate content of schedules. Crop Sci. 2: 333-336. Plant Phvsiol. 25:92-102. important mountain forage plants in ROBISON, G. D., AND M. A. MASSEN- TROUGHTO;, A. 1957. The under- central Utah as affected by clipping GALE. 1968. Effect of harvest man- ground organs of herbage grasses. and grazing. U. S. Dep. Agr. Tech. agement and temperature on forage Commonwealth Bur. Pastures and Bull. 818. 51 p. yield, root carbohydrates, plant den- Field Crops Bull. 44. 163 p. MCCONNELL, B. R., AND G. A. GARRI- sity and leaf area relationships in WEINMANN, H. 1943. Root reserves SON. 1966. Seasonal variation of alfalfa (Medicago sati-cra L. cultiver of South African highveld grasses in available carbohydrates in bitter- “moapa”). Crop Sci. 8: 147-15 1. relation to fertilizing and frequency brush. J. Wildlife Manage. 30:168- SAMPSON, A. W,> AND E. C. MCCARTY. of clipping. J. South African Bot. 10: 172. 1930. The carbohydrate metabo- 37-54. PAULSEN, G. M., AND D. SMITH. 1968. lism of Sti@ pulchra. Hilgardia 5: WEINMANN, H. 1947. Determination Influence of several management 61-100. of total available carbohydrates in practices on growth characteristics SMITH, D. 1962. Carbohydrate root plants. Plant Physiol. 22:279-290. and available carbohydrate content reserves in alfalfa, red clover, and WEINMANN, H. 1961. Total avail- on smooth bromegrass. Agron. J. birdsfoot trefoil under several man- able carbohydrates in grasses and le- 60: 375-379. agement schedules. Crop Sci. 2:75- gumes. Herbage Abst. 3 1: 255-26 1. PRIESTLY, C. A. 1962. Carbohydrate 78. WOLF, D. D., K. L. LARSON, AND D. resources within the perennial plant. SMITH, D., G. M. PAULSEN, AND C. A. SMITH. 1962. Grass-alfalfa yields Commonwealth Bureau of Hort. and RAGUSE. 1964. Extraction of total and food storage of associated alfalfa Plantation Crops Tech. Communica- available carbohydrates from grass as influenced by height and fre- tion 27. 116 p. and legume tissue. Plant Physiol. 39: quency of cutting. Crop Sci. 2:363- REYNOLDS, J. H., AND D. SMITH. 1962. 960-962. 364. 9 % Botanical and Chemical La Composition Botanica y Quimica de las Dietas de1 Ganado Bovino y Ovino en una Pradera Tipo Composition of Cattle and Pinyon- Juniper Sheep Diets on Pinyon- Juniper Resumen3 Grassland Range1 Se llevo a cabo el estudio en el Estado de New Mexico, E.U.A. Las dietas de1 ganado ovino constituyeron en mas hierbas que gramineas con la exception de 10s meses de FRANK 0. THETFORD,a REX D. PIEPER, AND Junio, Julio y Agosto. Las m&s importantes hierbas fueron ARNOLD B. NELSON Artemisia curruthii, Verbena spp. y Sphaerulceu coccinea. Las dietas de1 ganado bovino constituyeron en mas grami- Research Assistant, Associate Professor of Range Science, neas que hierbas con la exception de1 mes de Abril. La and Professor of Animal Science, New Mexico State graminea mas importante fue Boutelouu grucilis. Boutelouu University, Las Cruces. curtipendulu, Lycurus phleoides y Aristidu spp. fueron secundarias en importancia. Las dietas de1 ganado bovino Highlight tuvieron mas proteina cruda. No hubo diferencia en 10s contenidos de fibra cruda ni de la digestibilidad entre las Diets collected by use of esophageal fistulated steers and dietas de1 ganado bovino y ovino. sheep on foothill range in southcentral New Mexico where Common use or dual grazing by more than one compared botanically and chemically. Sheep diets were class of livestock offers possibilities for increasing generally higher in forbs and lower in grass than cattle diets livestock production without increasing land areas. and contained more forbs than grass except during June, July and August. Important forbs in sheep diets were car- Such practices are becoming increasingly more im- ruth sagewort, vervain, and globemallow. Cattle diets con- portant as production costs increase and opportuni- tained more grass than forbs in all periods except April, ties for acquiring additional land decrease. with blue grama the most important grass followed by Some rangelands are better suited for grazing by sideoats grama, wolftail, and threeawns. Sheep diets were one class of livestock than another, but many ranges consistently higher in crude protein and ash content than may be better utilized by cattle and sheep grazing cattle diets, but there were no significant differences in together (Cook, 1954; Smith, 1965; Stoddart and cell-wall constituents and in vitro dry matter disappearance Smith, 1955). Rangelands with diverse topography among dates or between cattle and sheep diets. and vegetation are more suitable for dual use by sheep and cattle than for single species use (Cook, l Journal article 372, Agricultural Experiment Station, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001. 1954; Merrill et al., 1966; Merrill and Young, 1954; Received December 1, 1970. 2 Present address: Texas A and M Experimental Ranch, 3 Por Donald L. Huss y Benjamin Lopez, Dep. de Zootecnia, Throckmorton, Texas. I.T.E.S.M., Monterrey, Mexico. 426 THETFORD, PIEPER, AND NELSON Stoddart and Smith, 1955). Studies in Utah and Table 1. Botanical composition (%) of area grazed by Texas have shown that stocking with two or more esophageal fistulated sheep and cattle at Fort Stanton, classes of livestock in the same pasture increased 1969-70. gains per head and per acre, maintained or im- Species1 Composition2 proved range condition, increased carrying capac- ity, reduced supplemental feeding, resulted in more Grasses uniform use overall, and increased gross and net Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis, (H.B.K.) Lag.) 66.4 returns when compared to single use by sheep or Sideoats grama (B. curtipendula, (Michx.) Torr.) 4.6 cattle (Cook, 1954; Huss and Allen, 1969; Merrill Hairy grama (B. hirsu ta Lag.) T Threeawns (Aristida spp.) 0.8 and Miller, 1961; Merrill et al., 1966; Merrill and Galleta (Hilaria jamesii (Torr.) Benth.) 1.0 Young, 1954). Wolftail (Lycurus phleoides H.B.K.) 16.7 Hull et al., (1957) and Meyer et al. (1957) showed Mat muhly (Muhlenbergia richardsonis (Trin.) that sheep and cattle select diets which are quite Rydb.) 3.0 different in plant parts, botanically and chemically, Ring muhly (M. torreyi (Kunth.) Hitchc.) 1.2 when animals grazed on adjacent pastures of a Halls panic (Panicum hallii Vasey) T single species or adjacent pastures consisting of two Bottlebrush squirreltail (Sitanion hystrix (Nutt.) species. Other investigators working with animals J. G. Smith) - on native range reported that cattle diets consisted Forbs mainly of grasses, with forbs and browse of lesser Carruth sagewort (Artemisia carruthii Wood) 5.5 dietary importance. While sheep readily eat Locoweeds (Astrugalus spp.) T grasses, they generally consume greater amounts of Broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrue (Pursh.) forbs and browse than cattle (Cook, 1954, 1956; Britt. and Rusby) T - Cook et al., 1963, Cook et al., 1967; Cook and Har- Vervains (Verbena spp.) Globemallow (Sphuerulceu coccineu (Pursh.) ris, 1950; Cook et al., 1965; Smith and Julander, Rydb.) - 1953). For example, Cook et al. (1963) reported Bladderpod (Lesquerella gordonii (Gray) Wats.) - cattle diets contained 55% grass, 25% forbs, and Lemonweed (Pectis papposa Harv. and Gray) - 207, browse whereas the diets of sheep grazing the Browse same areas were composed of 35% grass, 40% forbs, Wavyleaf oak (Quercus undulatu Torr.) - and 25% browse. One-seeded juniper (Juniperus monosperma Several studies have shown that sheep select diets (Engelm.) Sarg.) - which are significantly higher in total protein and Pinon pine (Pinus edulis Engelm.) - digestible protein than cattle diets, whereas cattle Red barberry (Berberis haematocurpa Wooten) - diets are significantly higher in cellulose. Sheep Fourwing saltbush (A triplex canescens (Pursh.) diets also contained more ether extract and lignin Nutt.) - than cattle diets (Cook et al., 1963; Cook et al., 1 Nomenclature follows Kearney and Peebles, 1960. 1967; Van Dyne and Heady, 1965b). These dif- 2 Those species for which no percentages are listed appeared on ferences in diets may be due to the fact sheep select the area but were not sampled on the transects. T < 0.1% diets high in browse, forbs, and plant parts which are high in protein, ether extract, and lignin, but The major forage species is blue grama which cattle consume large quantities od grass stems, is dominant or codominant on all sites. Other im- which are high in cellulose (Cook et al., 1963; Van portant grass species are shown in Table 1. Dyne and Heady, 1965b). The average annual precipitation for 94 years of The objective of this study was to compare bo- record (1856 to 1969 with some gaps) is 15.30 inches tanical and chemical composition of diets of cattle (U. S. Weather Bureau) of which about 62% falls and sheep grazing together on the same range. during the growing season of June, July, August, and September (Grace and Pieper, 1967). The Materials and Methods climate of the area is generally mild but some rela- The Fort Stanton Cooperative Range Research tively cold winter temperatures occur. The mean Station is located in the foothills between Sierra annual temperature for Fort Stanton is 52 F, with Blanca and the Capitan Mountains in southern a mean minimum of 36 F and a mean maximum of Lincoln County, New Mexico. The topography is 65.5 F (U. S. Weather Bureau). characterized by deep canyons, arroyos, and mesas The study pasture was stocked two-thirds with with elevations varying from 6200 to 7500 feet. cattle and one-third with sheep. There were 34.5 Fort Stanton is in a transition zone between the acres per animal unit yearlong.