2016-08-01_PERMIT FILE - C1981010A (14)

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.� root that can penetrate more than 6 feet. Sicklepod milkvetch is grazed by big game in summer, but mature plants are valuable in winter because they often pro- trude above the snow (Plummer, et.al., 1968). Cook et.al. (1974) recommends that Sicklepod milkvetch be included in a seed mix for big sagebrush -grass vegetation type and in the mountain brush vegetation type. Medicago sativa alfalfa (varieties: Ladak, Rambler, or Teton) Alfalfa, an introduced legume, has been seeded for years on irrigated and dryland farms throughout the west. It begins growth early in the spring but retains con- siderable basal succulence late in the summer after grasses have dried. Alfalfa makes excellent regrowth any time in the growing season when soil moisture is available. Where it is established in range areas, it effectively keeps game • animals on these ranges and helps prevent their invading of cultivated fields. Four strains of alfalfa - Rambler, Nomad, Travois, and Teton - are well adapted to ranges where annual precipitation exceeds 9 inches. These four strains pro- duce much larger crowns than the usual field strains; they have much more elabor- ate root systems, and they better survive underground attacks by gophers and other rodents. On some plants, definite ground stems develop below the crown, and new plants develop from them. Hence these four strains are superior for seeding rangelands. These desirable characteristics have been derived chiefly from the sickle, or yellow blossom, alfalfa (a Siberian species), from which these strains were developed. Sickle alfalfa is very well adapted to western ranges - possibly better than the strains developed from it - but it is difficult to obtain seed in quantities large enough for extensive seeding because it matures unevenly and shatters quickly. Seed of the other four strains named above is on the market, 3-134 REVISED FEB 13 '87