THE SOUTHWEST. 51 



It is voiy coarse and rank, and would prolnihl}' not )>e touched In- 

 stock where more tender and succulent g-rasses were to be found, ])ut 

 here, where there ma}" be no alternative between it and the thorny 

 cacti to sustain life, it is devoured. The accompanying iUustration 

 (PI, XXV, iig. 2) shows some of this grass after it has been grazed. The 

 wool grass {Pappophorwn vaginattim)^ sprangletop {LejdocJdoad'uhia)^ 

 blunt panic grass {Panicum ohti(sum), CMoris elegmxs and feather beard 

 grass {Androjwgon torreyanus) are also species of considerable impor- 

 tance. Fendler's ]>lue grass {Poa fendlerianu)^ sometimes locally 

 called nuitton gra.ss, is a valuable species, occurring in the foothills 

 and mountains and furnishing palatal)le and nutritious feed. During 

 certain seasons of the year, and in some locations, plants other than 

 grasses form the most important portion of the grazing. Some of 

 these plants are of considerable value and worthy of serious investiga- 

 tion with a view of introducing them into cultivation. Others are 

 eaten only as a last resort when stock are threatened with starvation, 

 and could scarcely l)e classified as forage plants. To this last category 

 we may refer the various species of spin}' cacti, with which the heads 

 of animals are occasionally found covered during periods of extreme 

 drought and scarcity of food. Species of yucca, especially Yucca 

 elata^ are sometimes browsed in cases of scarcity of better food.' The 

 shad scale {Atrlplex canescens) and winter fat {Eurotta Janata) are 

 valuable forage plants which grow naturally here, and may perhaps 

 be cultivated to advantage. The accompanying illustration shows the 

 shad scale grazed and ungrazed (PI. XXVI). 



The above are some of the most important species of native grasses 

 and foi'age plants, and where the i-ainfall of the region must be 

 depended upon for the supply of moisture, experience indicates that 

 it is to these native plants that we should look for species to grow for 

 hay and pasture. The only reasonable hope for success with intro- 

 troduced species is in the case of those which are brought from regions 

 where much the same climatic conditions prevail. Plants introduced 

 from Central Austral iii and other high arid or desert regions may, 

 perhaps, be grown with success, as for instance, the Australian 

 saltbush. Species of spineless cacti might profitably be experimented 

 with here and also investigations carried on in the selection and 

 breeding of spineless forms of the native species. In regard to the 

 restoration of the range, where the better grasses have been practi- 

 cally destroyed, it will be necessary to break the soil by harrowing, 

 preferably with a disk harrow, and sowing seed of the native species. 

 This sowing should be done al)out the time of the commencement of 

 the sunnuer rain}' season in order that the young plants may have the 

 full benefit of the moisture supply. Stock should, of course, be kept 

 from these seeded areas until the grasses have had an opportunity to 

 become firmly established. Wherever possible supplies of water 



