Circular No. 18. (Agros. .54.) 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



DIVISION OF AGROSTOLOGY. 



[GRASS AND FORAGE PLANT INVESTIGATIONS.] 

 r. Lamson-Scribner, Agrostologist. 



SMOOTH BROME-fiJRASS. S> 



{Bromus inermis.) 



Smooth brome has been known in Europe for over one hundred 

 and thirty years. The early agriculturists did not consider it of any 

 value because of its creeping rootstocks, thus resembling the dreaded 

 couch grass. In 1884, 

 however, Stebler and 

 Shroeter demonstrated by 

 experiments conducted for 

 thirty years at Magocs, 

 Hungary, that it had the 

 power to withstand long 

 periods of drought when all 

 other grasses succumbed. 



These experiments re- 

 sulted in introducing the 

 grass into cultivation 

 Hungary where it still re- 

 tains the^ngjaae^ Huhga 

 riaii.-bfomeVgralis. ^^ , 

 tr^LuctionAli^ \]bjlie Jliiite* 

 States\ relist "i''l)^^i^ ^akm 

 place aboH^^he same^i4eL 

 for we fino^s^tf^^Sfet 

 offered for distHbtif 

 Bulletin 22 of the Califor- 

 nia Experiment Station, 

 issued November 5, 1884, 

 and the statement made 

 that ' ' our experience indi- 

 cates that it will lo well 

 here either with o^ without 

 irrigation." S^"ace then 

 the experime? .c stations of 

 Colorado, Minnesota, Man- 

 itoba, Nor^Ji Dakota, South Dakota, and the different grass stations 

 of the Agricultural Department, Washington, D. C, have conducted 

 extensive experiments and all speak of it in the highest terms. 



Fig. 1.— Smooth brome-grass showing rootstocks, seed- 

 head, splkelet, and parts of flower. 



