!3 



tall trees aud growing' up to tbeir very tops. One such vine i-u East- 

 land County measured nearly 50 feet in length. This bean furnishes 

 a large quantity of fodder that is eaten by cattle and sheep. It is a 

 perennial witL slender stems, and if properly cultivated will prove 

 a very valuable addition to the forage plants of this section. It grows 

 best in woodland copses along the banks of streams or in low moist 

 valleys where it finds tall and strong weeds or grasses upon which to 

 cling. 



Needle Grass or Dog-town Grass {Aristida fasciculata). — There 

 is an impression which obtains among other than cattlemen that this 

 grass is a nuisance rather than an advantage to the range. But a 

 careful investigation demonstrates that it is one of the most valuable, 

 all things considered, of the pasture grasses found in this section. It 

 is true that the needle-like seeds when ripe render the grass in some 

 respects objectionable. For instance, they attach themselves to the 

 wool of sheep, work tbeir way through it to the bodies, and inflict 

 on them ugly wounds that not only cause serious inconvenience, but 

 sometimes result in real injury to the animals. Especially is this the 

 case with lambs. Again, no class of stock seems to relish the grass 

 while the needles are still attached. Cattle eat it at such times when 

 forced to do so because of the scarcity of other grasses, but some- 

 times the needles pierce their tongues and otherwise wound their 

 mouths. However, the damage done to cattle and sheep in this way 

 has undoubtedly been greatly exaggerated. On the other hand the 

 good qualities of the grass have been greatly underestimated. It is 

 one of the most common pasture grasses in this section. It is less sub- 

 ject than any other to the destructive tendencies of prairie dogs. 

 Owing to the peculiar beards on the seeds, this grass reseeds itself 

 after all other grasses have been destroyed by the dogs near their holes. 

 The seeds, when shed from the stems, are blown over the ground, fasten 

 themselves to the earth, and work themselves down into it. As they 

 are blown about over the range they fasten themselves to bare spots, 

 which are the result of many different causes, and so renew them. It 

 has been suggested by some stockmen that a very good way to speedily 

 renew all our ranges would be to run furrows from east to west at 

 short intervals through them. These furrows would catch the drifting 

 seeds of this and other grasses as they are blown along by the prevail- 

 ing south winds. The seeds would readily attach themselves to the 

 loose soil of these furrows. This would assist the natural tendency of 

 the ranges to renew themselves. But, aside from these considerations, 

 this grass has another special value. It is one of the first of all the 

 range grasses to become green in early spring. It affords good feed to 

 all classes of stock while the grass is young and before the seeds 

 become stiff and troublesome. That it possesses very nutritious quali- 

 ties no one familiar with it will deny. Indeed, some of the best informed 

 stockmen of this section say that they regard it, when stock can eat it 



