48 RANGE INVESTIGATIONS IN ARIZONA. 



northeastern part of Arizona, e.speciall}' from Navajo to ("hin Lee, 

 and southward to the Long- H Ranch and St. Johns does not differ 

 material!}" in the higher elevations from the lower juniper areas of 

 the plateau region. The three annual species of grama {Bouteloua 

 cundldoides, B. i?oJyst(:(chya, and B. j^i'ostrata) furnish feed of a poorer 

 quality and shorter duration than the perennial ones. The first two 

 species are found most abundantl}' from the lower areas to the higher 

 foothills in the southern part of the Territory, Bouteloua polystachya 

 furnishing much the better feed of the two, but the quantity is smaller. 

 The third or prostrate grama is an important forage plant all through 

 the pine region in the general highland of the White, Mogollon, 

 and San Francisco mountains. At times it also reaches favorable 

 situations along the Little Colorado. 



The main grass in the lower areas in the valley of the Little Colo- 

 rado is Sporoholus airoides. This valley has much in common, so far 

 as its vegetation is concerned, with the vallev of the Rio Grande 

 farther east. Sporoholm airoides and salt grass {Distichlis spicata) 

 furnish the greatest amount of feed here, but they never yield so 

 abundantly as they do in the Rio Grande Valley. The former is known 

 here as saccaton, but is very different from Sjjorokolus wrightii, which 

 makes such a magnificent growth on some of the river bottoms in the 

 southern part of the Territory. 



Galleta {Hilar ia imdica) is an important grass throughout Arizona, 

 although not by any means so palatable as the gramas. It nearly 

 always occupies swales or depressions in the mesas, and for its best 

 development gets one or more irrigations by flood water during the 

 year. In the past season there were small ai-eas upon the mesas south 

 and east of Tucson that would cut one-fourth of a ton of hay to the 

 acre of this grass. In the northern portion of the Territory, especi- 

 ally near Ashfork, upon the Navajo Reservation, and along the main 

 line of the Santa Fe from the plateau region east, except in the lower 

 areas along the Little Colorado, this must be considered one of the 

 most important grasses. It is often grazed to the ground continu- 

 ously. Curly mesquite {Ililaria cenchroides), a closely related species, 

 is of great importance upon the high, open foothills, and Ililaria rigida 

 is characteristic on some of the deserts along the (lila and Salt rivers. 



The great highland region of the San Francisco and White moun- 

 tains furnish as good summer feed as any in the Territory, and where 

 properly pastured the parks and open places are quite productive. 

 Here a fescue {Fe^tuca arizonica) is probably the most al)undant 

 grass, although sheep men sometimes claim that" it is inferior in 

 quality to Sporobolua interruptus, which also grows to the exclusion 

 of all other vegetation over quite extensive areas upon thinly wooded 

 plateaus. Indeed, Festuca arizonica and Muhlenhergia gracilis, which 

 occupy large areas, are not considered such good sheep feed as Sjm- 



