ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION. 11 



the south. The n^ccntlv iiitrotluei'd jiw iilcss hroinc wi-.iss hu.> sliown 

 that it Clin bo .sucvossfully i,rit)\vii without ini^'-atiou. For ti tuith(>i- 

 discussion of the fonii^o fonditions of tliis area the reader is refeired 

 to Bulletin No. 12 mentioned above. 



HocKv MoiNTAiN Region. 



This includes a wide area passin^j- throuoh Colorado, Wyoming, 

 western Montana, and a part of eastern Idaho. This area also received 

 attention in Bulletin No. 12. 



As in the precedintif area, the most important ai^ricultural in(histry 

 is stock raisini^. Sheep raisinjjf is relatively more important here. 

 The sheep are pastured during- the sununer in. the valleys, or at least 

 where thev have acces.s to water, hut durintjf the wintei- they mav ))e 

 driven to the more arid districts, depending- upon the snowfall for 

 theii- water supply. 



The forai,re conditions of one of these arid regions is discussed by 

 Prof. Aven Nelson in Bulletin No. 13 of the Division of A«>rostolo"v, 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, entitled •■The Red Desert of Wyo- 

 ming and its Forage Rt'sources." 



Alfalfa is raised l)y irrigation at the lower altitudes throughout the 

 area, but, as before stated, is not successful at an altitude exceeding 

 6,0U0 or 7,000 feet, depending upon the latitude, and somewhat n\nm 

 the local conditions. Above this altitude the common foratre L'rasses 

 of the East may be grown. Timothy is raised in Colorado in favor- 

 able locations up to an elevation of l>,Oi>0 or even Iti.ooo feet. On the 

 plateau from Laramie westward the ranchmen depend largely upon 

 wild hay for winter food. This is irrigated to increase the crop; but, 

 owing to the injudicious or excessive application of water, the more 

 desirable grasses are driven out by ''wire grass" (Juncm haltivxs), a 

 kind of rush. 



It is a common practice to flood the land in the spring and allow it 

 to remain partly under water until time for cutting the hay, when the 

 water is turned otf. A species of spike rush {Eleocharis)^ also known 

 as wire grass, is conuiion in the moist spots. This wire grass is onlv 

 moderately nutritious, but yields larger crops of hay than w^hen grow^n 

 on unirrigated land, and it is less trouble to turn on the water once 

 than to supply the water oftener. allowing it to drain otf each time. 



There is an impression among farmers in southern Wyoming that 

 wild hay is more valuable for feed than alfalfa, ton for ton, for all 

 kinds of stock. This is reflected in the price of hay at Saratoga, 

 where wild hay or timothy sold at $15 and alfalfa at ^5 to |6 per ton. 

 At Laramie baled native hay was worth $8 to $10, and alfalfa in the 

 stack $5 to Wl per ton. Throughout the West, grass hay is considered 

 better than alfalfa for horses. There are several other kinds of forage 

 plants that have been grown in isolated localities with success, and 



