30 



all the labor that maybe bestowed ou it by developing- iiito a first-class 

 hay grass. 



Hall's Grrass {Panicum halUi). — There are several varieties of grasses 

 common in central Texas which resemble each other so much that 

 only experts are able to distinguish their dift'erences. They all i^ro- 

 duce a great abundance of small seed, one of their marked charac- 

 teristics. Hall's grass is one of them. It grows in all the counties of 

 this section, is a fair pasture grass, and, while not so tall as some of the 

 other varieties mentioned, it will produce a lot of soft and nutritious 

 hay. Farmers and stockmen speak of it in favorable terms. 



Sporobolus drummondii was noted only in Taylor County, although 



it occurs elsewhere in central Texas. It 

 grows tall, with long, slender leaves, and 

 in September had no seed and no appear- 

 ance of having had any. The farmer on 

 whose place the specimen was collected 

 sayo that stock are fond of it when it is 

 young, and he thinks it is perhaps valu- 

 able both for hay and pasture i)urposes. 

 Fall Redtop {Triodia seslerioUJes) 

 grows in moist soils, es])ecially near 

 streams, in several counties in central 

 Texas. Specimens from a valley in East- 

 land County measured 88 inches in height. 

 It will furnish a great abundance of seed 

 and soft leaves. Its stems are not large 

 nor are they harsh even when cured. As 

 a hay grass it may be worthy of special 

 attention. An acre of good, moist valley 

 land seeded down to it ought to furnish 

 several tons of hay in a good season. 



Gunaninpil {Allionia incarnata), a 

 "four o'clock," is generally regarded as 

 only a tlower, but as an early summer 

 feed, especially for sheep, it has a recog- 

 nized value. It will grow again after being eaten down to the roots 

 and withstands dry weather — two good qilalities. 



Tumble Weed {Amaranthus hlitoides) (fig. 10) is not properly appre- 

 ciated by stockmen. It grows extensively in all the counties of this 

 section, and will readily be recognized by its name as above. NV'heii 

 matured it either breaks from its roots or is blown out of the ground l)y 

 the winds, (lathering itself into a ball it goes tumbling over the 

 ground until sto])pe<l by wire fences or other obstructions. Hundreds of 

 these plants may frcMjuently be seen on the broad open prairies of Texas 

 like balls 2 to 4 or even 5 feet in diameter, rolling before the wind like 

 an army of living beings. When young it is greedily eaten by cattle 

 and sheej), and furnishes a nutritious food. A fai'mer Avho has had some 



Fig. 10.— Tumble Weed. 



