SEDGES. 315 
and form tufts, in the center of which there are several solid three- 
edged stems, each of which bears at its summit a small spike of incon- 
spicuous flowers or fruit. 
When young the foliage 1s soft and makes excellent pasturage and 
is sometimes cut for hay, but when old the edges and keel of the leaves 
become so sharp and harsh that they are apt to cause painful lacera- 
tion in the mouth. The plant can not then be used for forage. This 
harsh character of the leaves militates against their use in the making 
of the-so-called ** grass baskets,” for which purpose those of the two 
following species are preferred. 
Carex sp. 
Ta''-tet'--l (Wailaki).—A sedge or saw grass which is similar to the 
last species, but which grows in large tufts only, its favorite habitat 
being along streams or near springs in the mountains. The leaves are 
more slender and more pliable and the edges and keel are not so sharp 
and saw-like. . As shown above, the roots are used for baskets. The 
leaves are valued for the same purpose, being specially used by the 
Wailakis in weaving hats and cheap semiflexible baskets. he hats 
are now exceedingly rare in Round Valley, but the flexible baskets are 
CcOnMNON. 
Carex barbarae Dewey. 
Ka-hoi’ (water gift) (Pomo).—A sedge which grows near Ukiah in 
rich alluvial soil along streams, into which the white roots often extend 
ina picturesque way. It differs from ¢é in being taller and in having 
several cylindrical fertile spikelets at the end of each fruiting stem 
instead of one unsymmetrical spike. A specimen cultivated as a curi- 
osity by Mrs M. Kk. P. MeCowen, of Ukiah, had leaves some of which 
measured 11 feet in length, but this length is exceptional. The root- 
stocks are very often emploved in basket making, being used for the 
white or creamy groundwork of most Pomo baskets. Its value is only 
about one-fourth that of the following species. 
The process of collecting and preparing /d@-/dm' has been admira- 
bly deseribed by Dr. J. W. Hudson.') Men as well as women resort 
to a favorite locality, and, provided with a clam shell and a stick, 
begin with hands and feet to dig out the selected rootstocks. An end 
is grasped between the first and second toes, and while the clam shell 
serves to scrape away the soil, the stick is used to pry away the stones 
and other roots and to loosen the ground. A woman will secure from 
15 to 20 strands ina day, while aman, onaccount of the time wasted in 
his long siesta, averages only about 10. To maintain their flexibility 
and to soften the scaly bark, the rootstocks are placed in shallow 
water immediately after they have been dug and are left there until 
morning, when the bark is removed by the women. One end is 
'Pomo basket makers. Overland Monthly, vol. 21, pp. 561 to 578. 1893. 
