22 



congregated at Wliite Horse camp and tlie agency. Near each one of 

 tliese bouses was a small piece of ground, from 2 to 3 acres, fenced and 

 under cultivation. Their crops consist of corn, potatoes, pumpkins, 

 and melons. These were usually well tended and a good crop. There 

 were a few pieces of wheat which were an average crop. The Indians 

 evidently do not cultivate the same piece of ground for many years in 

 succession. It was not an uncommon thing to find patches of ground, 

 which had once been under cultivation, all grown up to weeds, and the 

 fence removed from it, possibly to get fresh soil, but probably more 

 often to get rid of the weeds. It was learned that the Indians make 

 almost no preparation for winter feeding, except to save, as much as pos- 

 sible, the feed around their winter quarters. As they have but a small 

 bunch of cattle, they are able to keep close watch of them. (^)uite a 

 number of cattle were seen which were being driven down to the agency 

 to be sold for beef They were invariably in good condition. 



After leaving the Missouri bottoms no big sand-grass {Calamovilfa 

 longifoUa) was noticed until the party arrived at the Moreau near White 

 Horse camp. Big cord-grass {Spartina cynosuroides) (fig. 4) is the 

 principal grass along the ravines and gullies, and big sand-grass is 

 very common on the knolls farther west. The distribution of big sand- 

 grass, of course, throws much light on the character of the soil. Both 

 of these grasses were pastured closely in the western portion of the 

 region where the feed was short. Usually these grasses are not cut 

 for hay, but this season it is said that they will form the bulk of it, 

 owing to the scarcity of wheat-grass, 



Prairie June-grass {Koekria cristata) is a much more important grass 

 on the high prairie in the eastern portion of this region than anywhere 

 else we visited. The small table lands back 3 or 4 miles from the river 

 invariably contain fine growths of this grass, at times almost to the 

 exclusion of the other grasses. There was a large area near Virgin 

 Buttes that stood 10 inches high and so thick that the heads which 

 were then ripe gave a brown appearance to the whole area. It is very 

 common on all the high ground. 



rorcui)ine-grass {Stipa spariea) and needle-grass {Stipa comata) are 

 found to some extent all along the Moreau bottoms, the latter becoming 

 a very important pasture grass to the westward. Feather bunch-grass 

 {S. viriclula) is more important on the highland regions eastward. Here 

 it is a very valuable pasture grass and is often found with western 

 wheat-grass {A(/ropi/ron spicatum) and blue grama [BouicUma oUfi<>- 

 stachya) in sufficient (piantity to nnike considerable hay. 



The more important grasses and forage plants of the region are as 

 follows: Blue grama {Boiiteloua olujostaclnja), western wheat-grass 

 {Agropyron Hpicatum)^ big blue stem {Andropogon provhicialis), prairie 

 June-grass (Koeleria cristata), big cord-grass (.S>rrr^/?ja cynosnroides), 

 needle-grass {Stqjci comata), feather bunch-grass {S. riridula), big sand- 

 grass {Calamovilfa longifoiia), buffalo-grass [Bulbil is dactyloides), 



