45 



mnig" blue grass (see fig. 13), smooth buuch-grass, Nevada blue grass, and 

 woodland meadow-grass. In the higher altitudes alpine blue grass 

 {]'<>a alpina) and mountain meadow-grass {Foa leptocoma) are the pre- 

 dominating species. An interesting thiug in connection with the dis- 

 tribution of these two grasses was observed in northern Wyoming the 

 I)ast season. In the Bear Lodge range, in northeastern Wyoming, 

 alpine blue grass was frequently met, and it was also very abundant in 

 the mountains at the head of 

 Meeteetse Creek in the north- 

 western part of the State, but 

 extended search failed to re- 

 veal any of this grass in the 

 Big Horn Mountains in the 

 north central part of the State 

 and nearly midway between 

 the other two localities. 

 Mountain meadow-grass was ' 

 very abundant in the Big Horn 

 Mountains, and was also found 

 in the mountains at the head 

 of Meeteetse Creek, but was 

 not seen in the northeastern 

 part of the State. Alpine 

 blue grass is most abundant 

 in sandy or gravelly soil 

 near the streams, and moun- 

 tain meadow-grass j) r e f e r s 

 cold, wet, boggy meadows and 

 mountain sides. 



Alpine timothy is very wide- 

 ly distributed at the higher 

 elevations in the Eocky Moun- 

 tain region. It is qui^e abun- 

 dant in the Black Hills above 

 6,000 feet. In the Big Horn 

 Mountains it vies with tus- 

 sock-grass for first j)lace in 

 many of the meadows at 7,000 

 to 8,000 feet, particularly on the western side of the range, where 

 it is much more abundant than on the eastern slope. In central 

 Montana it is most plentiful at and above 6,500 feet, rarely occur- 

 ring below 6,000 feet, the ordinary limit for common timothy. It is 

 rarely found below 9,000 feet in Colorado, except, perhaps, in the 

 northern part of the State, but is plentiful up to 13,000 feet. Hay 

 made from this grass is highly prized by ranchmen, especially for 

 horses. 



Fig. 13. — Wyoming blue grass (Poa wheeleri). 



