53 



pale color of the remaining grass vegetation. Often these areas may be 

 found alternating with similar areas of the much paler buffalo-grass, and 

 the checkerboard appearance thus given to the prairie is peculiarly strik- 

 ing. Although primarily a pasture grass, blue grama, under favorable 

 conditions of soil and moisture, makes a fine growth of leafage suffi- 

 cient to afford a good yield of hay of a very flue quality. Under ordi- 

 nary conditions, however, this grass cures so well on the ground that 

 stockmen prefer to use it for 

 winter pasturage rather 

 than go to the trouble of 

 putting up the hay. 



Black grama [Bouteloua 

 hirsuta) is much more local 

 in distribution than blue 

 grama, to which it is very 

 similar in ax)pearance and 

 habit of growth. It is con- 

 fined largely to rather lim- 

 ited areas on sandy or grav- 

 elly knolls and hillsides, and 

 is valuable chiefly because 

 it thrives in these poor soils, 

 furnishing considerable psis- 

 turage where but few other 

 grasses can do more than 

 simply exist. 



The third grama found in 

 this region that deserves 

 special mention is tall or 

 side-oats grama (Bouteloua 

 curtipendula). (See flg. 18.) 

 It is a larger grass than 

 either of the foregoing, and, 

 while occurring throughout, 

 is more abundant in the rich 

 prairie soil of the eastern 

 portion of tlie region. It 

 produces a fine growth of 

 long, slender leaves and on good soil makes a good yield of hay. In 

 Nebraska and the Dakotas, where this grass is very abundant, it is 

 regarded as of more vahie for hay than for pasturage, as it yields well, 

 and the tough, rather harsh leaves are more readily eaten by stock as 

 hay than wlieu in the fresh state. In the principal range region, how- 

 ever, the grass is seldom present in the meadows in much quantity, and 

 on the drier soils the growth is not sufficient for hay; but it cures well 

 on the ground and is readily eaten by range stock which are more 

 accustomed to feeding on harsh herbage. 



Fig. 18.— Tall or side-oats grama {Bouteloua curtipendula): 

 a, one of the short spikes; b, a spikelet; c, a splkelet 

 with the outer empty glumes removed. 



