Laserfiche WebLink
<br />FORBS <br />The fall 1975 seedings produced excellent stands of some of <br />the legumes. Alfalfa had the greatest vigor of all the for•bs <br />studied. Biomass production from alfalfa grown in the individual <br />species plots was estimated to be approximately 6000 kg/ha (Appendix <br />Table ). This represents the highest biomass production for any <br />grass or forb investigated. Its use in a seed mix, however, might <br />not be appropriate due to its tendency to cause bloat in domestic <br />livestock. Other legumes which did well include crownvetck, sickle- <br />pod milkvetch, sainfoin, and sweetvetch (Table ). Sicklepod <br />milkvetch has been shown to be toxic in recent studies and should <br />not be considered for use in a seed mix. Utah sweetvetch, the only <br />native among the legumes, provided excellent cover. Yellow sweet- <br />clover, a biennial, provides severe competition for moisture and <br />light to the establishment of desirable perennials. Sweetclover <br />is, therefore, not recommended in a seed mix even though it <br />exhibits vigorous growth on the Colowyo site. The ephemeral <br />nature of Sweetclover is illustrated by the fact that by 1978 <br />it was not present in any of the three replications. ' <br />Lewis flax and all the penstemons did very well in the fall <br />1975 seeding. This is encouraging as they can be used to provide <br />diversity to the plant community and are aesthetically pleasing <br />when in bloom. The fortis seeded in spring 1976 and fall 1976 <br />reflect the lack of precipitation previously mentioned. <br /> <br />