GENERAL CHARACTERS. 



Smooth brome-grass is a native of Europe and Asia, ranging from 

 France eastward into Siberia, growing along roadsides, river banks, 

 borders of fields and woods, and upon sterile hillsides and pastures. 

 It is a vigorous, hardy perennial with strong, creeping rootstocks, 

 smooth, upright, leafy stems, one to four feet high, and loose, 

 open panicles, or "seed heads" four to eight inches long. In a few 

 years it forms a very tough sod, soon crowding out other grasses, 

 clovers, and weeds. Its remarkable drought-resisting qualities have 

 proved it to be the most valuable grass for dry regions where other 

 grasses could hardly exist. 



As it is thoroughly permanent and grows with wonderful rapidity, 

 producing heavy crops and luxuriant pasture, its value to the far- 

 mers of dry regions can not be over estimated. All kinds of stock 

 eat it with relish and the chemical analyses made show that it is 

 rich in flesh-forming ingredients, much more so than timothy. It is 

 very hardy and not injured by severe spring and fall frosts when 

 once established. As it starts to grow very early in the spring be- 

 fore any of the grasses upon the native prairies show any signs of 

 life, and remains green and succulent far into November, it will 

 supply the long-felt want of early spring and late fall pastures. 



DISTRIBUTION OF SEED. 



Since 1896 six hundred and three experimenters have received seed 

 of smooth brome-grass from the Department of Agriculture, Wash- 

 ington, D. C. This distribution does not include the State experi- 

 ment stations to some of which large quantities were sent. The 

 packages sent out varied in amount from one quart to thirty-five 

 pounds. The larger part of this seed was purchased from Russia 

 by the Secretary of Agriculture and distributed directly by this 

 Division, or through the Section of Seed and Plant Introduction. 

 Almost every State in the Union is represented in this distribution 

 as shown by the following table : 

 Table I.— Number of experimenters and distribution of smooth brome grass seed. 



