83 



Australia. They are known to be hard}^ as regards cold as well as 

 resistant to alkali and drought, and are highly valued for grazing in 

 alkali districts where little or no other vegetation exists. 



Of the American saltbushes now in cultivation, shad scale is consid- 

 ered to have the most economic value. It is a robust, shrubby peren- 

 nial, from ttr to 10 feet high, native to the high valleys and plains of 

 Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas. The 

 small, narrow, gray -green leaves and young branches are browsed by 

 cattle, which sometimes eat it down close to the ground, leaving only 

 the stump to branch out again into new growth. The seeds are pro- 

 duced in great abundance, often one-half bushel or more on a plant. 

 These are much sought after by sheep, and are considered verv fat- 

 tening. 



In the Southwest there are large sections of countr}" where shad 

 scale constitutes the chief forage plant. It is so much liked by stock 

 that on the summer ranges it occurs only on rock}^ cliffs or other inac- 

 cessible points. On ranges which are not grazed through the summer, 

 where the plant has an opportunity to seed freely, it grows in great 

 abundance and affords excellent winter pasturage. It has proved its 

 adaptability to soils impregnated with white alkali, and also withstands 

 small amounts of the black alkali. Its resistance to cold adds greatly 

 to its value. Since 1896 this division has sent out 218 packages of 

 Atriplex saltbushes to different experimenters throughout the United 

 States. Twenty-nine different States are represented in this distribu- 

 tion, which was as follows: 



Shad scale {Atriplex canesceiw)^ 85 packages; gra}- saltbush (^1. Jiali- 

 ■moides)^ 37; annual or bladder saltbush (J., liolocarj^a)^ 29; Australian 

 saltbush (/I. semihaccata)^ 20; Nelson's saltbush {A. j)ahularis), 19; 

 slender-fruited saltbush (^1. lejjtocarjxt)^ 18; silvery saltbush (^1. argen- 

 tea)^ 16; round-leafed saltbush (^1. numnndaria)^ 10; bladder saltbush 

 {A. vesicaria)^ 8; NuttalFs saltbush {A. mdtaUri)^ 5; Utah saltbush {^A. 

 truncata)^ 3; sponge saltbush {A. spongiosa), 3, and spiny saltbush {A. 

 coiifertifolkt)^ 3. Of the 150 applicants for seed, 52 have sent in 

 reports, and with the exception of 12, all report that the seed failed to 

 germinate, or that onlj^ a few plants came up and soon died. 



This failure to germinate the seeds is very probablj^ due to the 

 methods adopted in planting. If the seeds are harrowed in to the 

 depth of 2 or 3 inches, or sown in drills in alkali soils, they usually 

 rot before germination can take place. The primary rule to remember 

 is that these saltbushes are plants of the desert. Their seeds start 

 easily and rapidly, with little or no covering, but the soil must be 

 warm and moist. At the California Experiment Station, as well as on 

 the trial grounds of the Department at Washington, D. C, it has been 

 determined that the seeds germinate better when sown directh' on the 

 surface without any covering. Some practical stockmen have had 



