On the Composition of Common Heather (Calluna Vulgaris)

Abstract

The economic importance of the common heather or ling (Calluna vulgaris) is little appreciated by those not intimately concerned with the preservation of game, or the management of hill sheep, and investigators have given scant attention to its composition and feeding value. Yet it is the staple food of the grouse and, in many districts, contributes largely to the diet of the Blackface sheep. The young and tender shoots are eaten at all seasons of the year, but are of special value in winter, for heather is evergreen and withstands the action of frost in normal years. Further, its habit of growth is such that sheep may obtain access to it during snowy weather.