58 FIELD WORK OF DIVISION OF AGROSTOLOGY. 



I)V them only when better forage is not available. Quite a munl)er 

 of the better native grasses tolerate a considerable amount of alkali and 

 by cultivation and selection could no doul)t be made to withstand 

 greater quantities. 



SAND AND SOIL BINDERS. 



As mentioned in discussing the various regions, considerable work 

 has been done in investigating the sand and soil })inding plants of the 

 country. It has been found that we have a considerable iuunl)er of 

 excellect species of great value for this purpose. Besides the beach 

 grass i^Aiiiinopldla ar<Miarla), sand rye grass {Elyimis a/renarius)^ bitter 

 panic grass {Pfinlcum a inarHin)^ creeping panic grass {Panlcaia repejix)^ 

 and the sea oats ( Umola panic alata) of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, 

 we have seaside blue grass {Poa inacrantlia) and several rye grasses on 

 the Pacific coast and along the Columbia River. There are found 

 growing in the interior also several important sand and soil binders. 

 Redfield's grass {Redfieldla flexuosd) is one of the best of those found 

 growing in the interior. It is a native of the sand hills of western 

 Nebraska and Kansas. Indian \m\S.^\,{^OTyz(rpsU citspldata), sand grass 

 {CalamovlJfa loiKjlfolki)^ reed grass {PJiragrnltes vulgaris)^ reed 

 canary grass {J'Jt(d<iris arundinacea)^ big cord grass {Sj)artin.(i, eyno- 

 suroldes)^ blunt panic grass {Panlcinii ohtusum)^ Johnson grass 

 {Aitdrojwgon halej^ensid), and Vasej^'s needle grass {Stqxt vaseyi) are 

 important soil ))inders adapted to use on railwa}" or river embankments, 

 along ditches, or in other places where it is desirable to prevent the 

 washing of the soil. Large quantities of seeds and roots of many of 

 these species have been collected and distributed to various places for 

 propagation and testing. In the case of the sand Ijinders it has been 

 found ])est to transplant the roots, as the sands frequently shift so 

 rapidly that plants grown from seed are destroyed before they have 

 made sufficient growth to be elective. 



SPECIMENS SECURED. 



An attempt has been made in connection with the field work to 

 secure herl)arium specimens of all the grasses and forage plants met 

 with, in order that material may be at hand for study and comjjarison, 

 for illustrative purposes, and for use in identifying the plants which 

 are constantly ])eing sent from different parts of the country. About 

 25,000 specimens have been secured by the Division force and field 

 agents. Of these, about 9,000 have been added to the collection of the 

 De])artm(Mit and the greater portion of the remainder distributed in 

 exchange to the larger her])aria of the universities, botanical gardens, 

 and experiment stations, not only in this country but throughout the 

 world. In this wa}^ it has ])een possible to secure material, both speci- 

 mens and seeds, of a great many foreign grasses and forage plants. 



