26 Fish and Game Warden. [Bull. No. 1. 



Groves of trees not only attract many birds but form wind- 

 breaks which prevent the formation of waves that muddy the 

 water, cut the banks and damage the earth embankments of 

 the ponds. Groves of trees also provide shade for stock and 

 may serve as camping and picnic places for pleasure-seeking 

 parties. Groves of trees fringing bodies of water make the 

 most pleasing and picturesque sights that can be found any- 

 where in the country, and that never fail to attract the atten- 

 tion of passers-by. 



DIKES AND DAMS SHOULD BE SODDED. 



While there should be groves of trees around the ponds, 

 willows along the embankments and aquatic plants in the 

 water, it is also very important that the dams and dikes 

 should be well covered with a compact sod.* It is not always 

 easy to find a grass that will do well for sodding purposes for 

 the different localities of the state, especially for the central 

 and western parts. It is usually possible to get some of the 

 grasses native to the locality to grow. Foxtail and "sand 

 bur" grasses do well on the dikes here at the Hatchery, but 

 both are annual plants, and aside from the fact that they have 

 objectionable qualities, they lack the mass of roots necessary 

 for protecting the soil against wind and water. 



BERMUDA GRASS. 



Bermuda grass has been planted on some of the embank- 

 ments of the State Hatchery grounds. It does well during the 

 summer season, but if the weather gets very cold it seems to 

 winterkill badly. This grass is a native of tropical climates, 

 and I learn from Oklahoma Station Bulletin No. 85 that it can 

 be grown as far north in that state as the Kansas line. This 

 grass grows a foot or njore in height at the Hatchery when not 

 cut during the season. In the earlier stages of its growth, 

 and later where it has been kept cut short or has been pas- 

 tured, the general appearance of Bermuda grass, with its soft, 

 velvety blades, is very much like buffalo grass. It is what one 

 might expect would be produced if common blue grass and 

 buffalo grass were crossed. It produces a thick, soft mat of 

 fine blades, which are small and narrow, that completely 

 cover the ground. f Bermuda grass grows much taller and 

 ranker than buffalo grass, and the jointed runners it throws 

 out are of much greater length. I have a specimen of one of 

 these long jointed runners before me now, a growth of the 

 year, and the longest one that my small boy George could find 

 growing on the grounds. It measures eight feet and five 

 inches in length, and has, in addition to any short branches, 

 eleven additional runners that vary from twelve to thirty- 



See fig. 5. t See page 28. 



