RANGE fep:d. 49 



rohnliis /'fife?'/'Kj)ti(s. How'ever, thov arc all grazed, and thou.sands of 

 .sheep live on practically nothinn' else for a lari>-(> part of t\\o sunnner. 

 Sheep fescne (Festuca <>rlii<i var.) is common in portions of the moun- 

 tains, but it is not so abundant nor so valu-.ible as the other species;. 

 Strange as it \\\ti\ seem, the bluestem of the great jilains region 

 {A(jr<ipijr()n occidental <) produces a very important part of the range 

 feed here. In open depressions there are often pure stands of it, 

 which, during the past season, would i-ut as high as one-half ton to 

 the acre. Arixttda pni'purca is another grass whicii. though not con- 

 sidered the best of feed, is very abundant in places, and furnishes 

 fairly good grazing when young. Among other grasses of importance 

 here should be mcntioniHl Kulei'hi criKtata, Sj>(>r(/hob/.s depaupcrdf ns^ 

 S. prhighd. Schedon na rdnx tc.vanux, A(/rosth hi/einalix^ Sitavio)} lon(/!- 

 foJiuni^ S. molle^ BJepliannieuron tricholepis^ and EpmunpcH I'xpdata. 

 As would be expectetl the grass flora here is varied, but the species 

 mentioned, together with the blue grama, an^ the most important 

 from the stockman's standpoint. 



Upon the bottom lands in the southern part of the Territory sacca- 

 ton {Sporohohis irrl<i}itil) is without doubt the most imi)ortant, and 

 it was much moic a))undaiit foi'mcrly than now. Its place is taken 

 on the saltier bottoms in the Salt, (xiia. Little Colorado, and Sul[)hur 

 Spring valleys by Sporohol ns <flr<>ides. 



The bluejoint grasses are of special imp(n-tance in the southern pai"t 

 of Arizona, and furnish a great deal of the summer feed in the foot- 

 hills and mountains. They are usually grazed to the ground. The 

 most important species are Andropixjon xacchdmldix^ A. cnntorftfs^ and 

 ^1. hirttjJorvxfei'nxls. The iirst of these often makes a good crop on 

 usually limited highland depressions. The other two are common on 

 I'ocky hillsides. 



There are a number of annuals aside from those noted above which 

 are of much value and often make comparatively large yields on lim- 

 ited areas. Without doubt the most important of these is Chlov'is ele- 

 gant, which in favoral>le seasons will sometimes cut a ton of ha}' to the 

 acre in situations which receive an overflow. It is also an important 

 constituent of the foothills range feed in some localities. It was 

 especially abundant in the Sulphur Spring Vallev in 1900, and upon 

 the eastern slope of the Santa Rita Mountains in 19i)2 and 1903. 

 ErlocMoa punctata is also an important annual, with about the same 

 habits as the former species, and in the same connection should be 

 mentioned Eragrostis neo-inexlcana. The triple-awn grass {Aristida 

 americand) is abundant in similar situations to the six weeks' grama. 

 While the awns render this of little value after maturity, it neverthe- 

 less furnishes some grazing early in the rainy season upon the lower 

 foothills throughout the southern part of the Territory. 



