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• plants only lightly and horses seldom eat more than a few flower heads. Fre- <br />quently during [he late fall, winter, and early spring, especially during periods <br />of heavy snowfall, big sagebrush is utilized by sheep, goats, and cattle. Des- <br />pite its low palatability, chemical analysis indicates that [he leaves of big <br />sagebrush equal alfalfa meal in protein, have a higher carbohydrate content, and <br />yield twelvefold more fa[. The high fat content qualifies sagebrush leaves as <br />valuable winter feed, since fat has a high power to produce heat. However, the <br />palatability of the bitter, pungent-tasting leaves is low, due doubtless to the <br />presence of a bitter material and about 3 percent of volatile oil. <br />Quercus gambelii <br />(Gambel's Oak) <br />Gambel oak is best known throughout its range in its autumnal aspect, when its <br />gorgeous leaves color [he foothills and mountain slopes. <br />This species, belonging to the white oak group, is either a small tree or large <br />shrub; i[ ranges from western Texas to Wyoming, Utah, southern Nevada, and Ari- <br />zona and south into Mexico. I[ grows most abundantly in the central and southern <br />Great Basin, where it occurs over large areas of the foothills, canyons, and <br />lower mountain slopes either in dense, pure stands or sometimes in association <br />with chokecherries (Prunus spp.), true mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus mon[anus) <br />and serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.). It is also common and often abundant, in <br />the upper woodland and ponderosa pine types of the Southwest. It is not so <br />drought-enduring as most southwestern oaks, and grows at higher elevations where <br />soil moisture is more plentiful. Although often found on coarse or even rocky <br />sites, it prefers [he sandy or gravelly loams, and attains its besC development <br />in canyon bottoms and sheltered places in rich loam soils, where its extensive <br />roots receive adequate moisture. This species is a good soil builder, and at <br />least a thin layer of black rich soil is usually found beneath an old-established <br />stand of Gambel oak. As a result, a good unders[ory of palatable, herbaceous <br />vegetation, such as bromegrass, bluegrass, lupine, and geranium, frequently <br />occurs under this oak, especially in [he more open stands. <br />r ~ <br />LJ <br />~ 2-89 <br />