42 



There are few of the native meadow-grasses that grow naturally 

 under such a wide range of soil and climatic conditions as woodland 

 meadow-grass in its several varieties. It is common in Avoodlands 

 along the prairie streams, and follows up the valleys into the foothills 

 and mountains, where it becomes an important element in the moist 

 meadows. It also occurs on rocky hills and mountain sides, some of 

 its forms flourishing at an altitude of 10,000 feet, or even more, in Col- 

 orado. Some of the forms growing in the rich lowland meadows 



approach fowl meadow-grass in size 

 and appearance, and afford a large 

 amount of excellent hay. 



Nevada blue grass (fig. 12) is more 

 common on the west side of the Conti- 

 nental Divide than on the east, but it 

 is nevertheless sufficiently abundant 

 in the latter region to form an impor- 

 tant part of the vegetation in many of 

 the natural meadows. It occurs as 

 far east as the Pine Ridge of Nebraska 

 and the Black Hills of South Dakota, 

 but is most abundant in the valleys 

 among the foothills and mountains. 

 Some forms of it grow on rather dry 

 soil in open woodlands and on rocky 

 mountain sides. It prefers rich soil 

 with a medium supply of moisture and 

 does well under irrigation. Under 

 favorable conditions it makes an ex- 

 cellent growth of leaves, and yields 

 a large amount of hay compared with 

 most of the native species of Foa. It 

 is rarely found above an altitude of 

 8,000 or 9,000 feet in this region. 



Fowl meadow-grass is not as abun- 

 dant in the immediate vicinity of 

 the mountains as it is farther to the 

 eastward, but nevertheless is found 

 quite plentifully in certain localities. It occurs most frequently along 

 streams about the edges of thickets, and on moist banks and bottom 

 lands subject to overflow in the early i)art of the season. For such 

 places it is a valuable grass, making a good yield under conditions 

 that would "drown out" most of the common grasses. It is much 

 more valuable for hay than for pasturage. In some localities this grass 

 is called false redtop. 



The sand-grasses or blue joints found in the meadows are remarkable 

 for their abundance of long root-leaves and the consequent large yield 



\ 



Fig. 11.— Beiicli-land spcargrass {I'oa arida). 



