NATIVE GRASSES OF NORTHERN MEXICO. 95 



tender and nutritious herbage so largely maintains the flocks and 

 lierds of the American farmer. 



The only attention which I have seen the Mexican ranchero 

 bestow upon grass is to inclose, rarely, a limited area of valley 

 sod, formed of hard and tough species like Sporobolus Wriglitii, 

 Distichlifi manfinia and Panicum obtusum, and use the field to 

 restrain a few saddk' liorscs and work oxen. He provides scarcely 

 any store of fodder for liis animals, so when the growth of 

 vegetation is arrested by the frosts of winter, they must bite 

 shorter the lialf dead but still nutritious herbage, and must 

 range widely to do tliis, and when the growths of the spring 

 months, always feeble, have been entirely checked by the wither- 

 ing droughts Avhich reach their Avorst in June, they must, if they 

 can, maintain life by browsing shrubs, cactuses, etc. 



To supply the wants of the animals kept in the cities gives 

 employment during winter to many of the poorer class, who 

 hawk about the streets, in ox-carts and on the backs of donkeys, 

 bundles of dead grass gathered on far away hillsides or plains. 

 By the beginning of March the neighboring rancheros are selling 

 green Avheat and barley in tlio same way, and they plant maize 

 from early till late to succeed these. Crreat stacks, freshly cut, 

 may be seen Avalking into town early in the morning with don- 

 key's legs, scarcely more than the feet visible- — a droll sight. 



The exotic grasses which accompany cereals as weeds of tillage 

 seem to be very few in nortliern ^lexico. Of the 108 species on 

 my list, I count only tliree sueli : Panicuin sangiiinale, L., P. 

 Crus-galli, L., Pludaris canariensix, L. 



"Jsearh' all tlie grasses range northward from Chihuahua to a 

 greater or less extent into the United States. All my species of 

 Aristida and SHpa, and some species of Muhlenhergia, are as yet 

 undetermined. 



Paspaluiii UaUii, V. »S: S.. is confin.jd to moist situations, as 

 the vicinity of streams and the banks of irrigating ditches. Its 



