60 



pasturage in the dry parks and open places. The mountain form of 

 prairie June-grass {Koeleria cristata) is often sufiQciently abundant to 

 form a large part of the pasturage in such places. 



In the moister soils the pasturage is furnished by the grasses men- 

 tioned in the discussion of mountain meadows, supplemented by vari- 

 ous additioual species of more local occurrence or of less vigorous 

 growth, and hence of less value as forage producers. 



Among such additional species might be mentioned downy oat-grass 

 [Trisetum suhspicatum niolle), American oat-grass {Avena americana)^ 

 and a variety of Californian oat- grass ( Danthonia californica unispicata). 

 The first is an abundant and widely distributed grass, flourishing in a 

 variety of soils, but most commonly found in rather moist open wood- 

 lands and edges of thickets. American oat- grass is rather local in dis- 

 tribution, is seldom found below an altitude of 0,000 feet in Montana 

 and Wyoming or about 7,500 in Colorado, and is most abundant in the 

 upper i)art of the eastern Rocky Mountain region. It usually occurs 

 in rather dry bottoms or on hillsides, and when plentiful attbrds much 

 good forage. The variety of Californian oat-grass is smaller than the 

 species and is generally found on dry ridges and hillsides, while the 

 species occurs in rather moist meadows. It is quite abundant in por- 

 tions of Wyoming and western Montana and is regarded as a good 

 pasture grass, to some extent taking the place, in high altitudes, occu- 

 j)ied by blue grama on the plains. 



NATIVE CLOVERS, VETCHES, AND LUPINES. 



The eastern Rocky Mountain region is well supplied with native 

 leguminous plants, many of which are of great value for hay and 

 pasturage. Some are unpalatable and are seldom eaten by stock, and 

 a few are injurious when eaten in any considerable quantity, due to 

 certain poisons or other active principles contained in them. In the 

 three States includi d in this report there are more than a dozen native 

 clovers, eight or ten native vetches and vetchlings, at least fifty milk- 

 vetches or rattleweeds, two bush-peas, a dozen or more lupines, and a 

 host of other legumes. 



THE CLOVERS. 



The native clovers are found chietiy in the mountains and at compar- 

 atively high altitudes. Some of them are too rare and others too small 

 to be of much value for forage, but the majority are valuable, and four 

 or live are of sutticient imi)ortance to warrant careful experimentation 

 as to their ])ossib]e use as cultivated crops. From their appearance 

 and tliriftincss under natural conditions or in irrigated luitive meadows 

 it would certainly seem probable that several of them would prove of 

 great value for cultivation, especially in the higher altitudes, where 

 alfalfa and the common clovers can not be successfully grown. 



Among the most important of these native clovers are Ueckwith's 

 clover {TrlJ'olium beckivitliii), long-stalked clover {T. longipes)^ moun- 



