13 



her own demands. A great deal of range stock is shipped out to be 

 fattened in Iowa, Nebraska, and other States. 



Three Brome grasses are becoming established in the vicinity of the 

 Colorado Agricultural College. Two of these, Hungarian Brome 

 {Bromm inermis L.) and Rescue-grass {Bronms unioloides Willd,), are 

 valuable forage plants. The third {Bromvs tectorum) is a weedy annual 

 on the grounds of the experiment station. Many of the cultivated 

 species such as Timothy, Redto]), Blue-grass, and Orchard-grass, are 

 naturalized in many places, but farmers, as a rule, do not make a busi- 

 ness of growing these grasses, as they do not thrive without irrigation. 

 Alfalfa occasionally grows where tlie soil has not been irrigated for a 

 season, but the growth is so poor that it is often not worth the cutting. 

 Several other leguminous plants are common. White Sweet Clover is 

 a weed in many of the irrigated districts. Yellow Sweet Clover is less 

 common than the White. Neither of these, so far as could be learned, 

 is used for forage. 



A large number of native grasses occur along irrigating ditches and 

 streams, and many of them are highy nutritious. One of the most 

 conspicuous is Slender Wheat-grass, which grows to a height of 3 to 4 

 feet and produces a large number of leaves. The Western Wheat- 

 grass is also much more productive in such situations than in high and 

 dry soil. Feather Bunch-grass grows luxuriantly. Wikl Eye is a large 

 and coarse grass of little value when compared with many of the other 

 species noted here. In low, swamx^y places Slough-grass grows from 

 1 to 4 feet high, and makes tine hay. Polypogon mouspeliensis Desf., a 

 weedy annual, also occurs along irrigating ditches. Catabrosa aqnatica 

 is an aquatic grass of irrigating ditches and wet canyons in the foot- 

 hills. These have been disseminated on the plains by water brought 

 from the mountains. Macoun's Rye-grass {Elymus macounii Vasey) 

 occurs in the flats along the river courses. Cord-grass occurs in low 

 ground and Slender Cord-grass is sparsely represented in alkaline 

 marshes. Fowl Meadow-grass is abundant in the fields in the vicinity 

 of Fort Collins and G-olden. Squirrel-tail-grass is plentiful in seepage 

 meadows and is a noxious weed when the bearded "heads" have formed, 

 though it is of some value when young. The common Reed-grass 

 occurs in <[uautity in the low meadows, but it is of little agricultural 

 value. The marshes contain numerous sedges and rushes, as Carex 

 marcida, C. ajuncis, Scirpus lacustris, and others. Several species of 

 Juncus are also common. 



GRASSES AND FORAGE PLANTS OF TIIi: I'OOTIIILLS AND MOUNTAINS. 



The foothills, as well as the higher mountain slopes, produce a large 

 number of A'aluable grasses. The grass flora is not equally rich through- 

 out, that of tlie higher altitudes being more varied and richer as to 

 species and quantity. The low foothills which rise from the prairies 

 have many species in common with the prairies. It is only in the 



