ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION. 31 



of excellent hay. The mesas, foothills, and mountain slopes, how- 

 ever, are ve^y sparsely (covered with forage plants. After short 

 stops at Salida and Canyon City, a trip was made to the Wet Moun- 

 tain Valley. This region has ])een favora1)ly known for many years 

 on account of the quantity and quality of native hay produced. 

 The meadows here, by long- continued cutting, haAe become far less pro- 

 ductive than formerly. Native meadows extend along Grape Creek 

 for 10 or IT) miles, averaging in width from 1 to 2 miles. The quality 

 of the hay produced is somewhat inferior on account of the presence 

 of sedges, rushes, and similar plants which occupy the wetter portion 

 of the meadow^s. Judicious draining of certain portions of these 

 meadows and permitting the grasses to seed themselves occasionally 

 would no doubt greatly imj^rove both the quantity and quality of the 

 product. Work was also done in the vicinity of Twin Lakes, where 

 there are considerable areas of swampy meadow lands producing 

 chiefly sedges. Passing over the mountains into the Blue lliver 

 Valley, an examination of the alpine and subalpine meadows and 

 pastures was made on Mount Bartlett, near Robinson. On th(^. slopes 

 of the higher mountains in this vicinity, above timber line, ([uite 

 extensive areas of excellent pasture lands occur. These are chiefly 

 used for sheep grazing. Sedges, short-leafed fescue {Festiwa hraehy- 

 2>h!jll(() and l)lue grasses furnish most of the grass forage. There are 

 quite a number of other native herbaceous plants, however, which fur- 

 nish a considerable amount of feed and are relished by sheep. The sheep 

 grazing here does not seem to be carried on in such a manner as to do 

 injury to the range or to the timber land. The sheep are fed here only 

 a short portion of the year, and then not usually in large enough mmi- 

 bers to do any serious harm. 



Further study of forage conditions was made at Dillon, Brecken- 

 ridge, and Como, the latter place being situated in the northwestern 

 portion of South Park. South Park has long been noted in Denver 

 and other local markets for the excellent quality of its wild hci.y. In 

 the lowlands of the park there are extensive wild hay meadows quite 

 similar to those of Wet Mountain Valley. A considera})le portion of 

 the hay produced here consists of Juncus haltlcus. This is generally 

 called "wire grass," though of course it is not a true grass at all. It 

 is very highly prized for hay, and brings a better price on the Denver 

 market than any other hay. As a result of the work in this portion 

 of Colorado, a very large and valuable collection of the grasses and 

 forage plants of the region was secured, some of which proved to be 

 new. A knowledge of the exact conditions of the different range and 

 meadow lands was ascertained, and the relative value of the different 

 grasses and forage plants determined. Seeds, roots, and sheaves of 

 the more important grasses were secured. Fortunately most of the 



