304 NEW GRASSES FOR OLD STATIONS. 



tigation I have met with some odd experiences. I have as a rule 

 found the opinion general that the wihl grasses furnished valu- 

 able pasture and ha}', and still, with few exceptions, it has been 

 very nearly impossible to obtain exact data as to what kind of 

 wild grasses were best, and what kinds Avere of most value for 

 hay or pasture. Moreover, strange as it may seem, there are as 

 yet scarcely any common names for these valuable wild grasses, 

 so that it is almost impossible to speak intelligently of them 

 without having recourse to their scientific names. 



" It is not to be reasonably questioned but that there may db 

 as valuable wild grasses which have not yet been brought under 

 cultivation, as there are already grown on our farms. It must 

 be remembered that ever}'' grass whicli we now grow was once 

 but a wild grass in some part of the world, and that by bringing 

 them under cultivation we have in every case increased their 

 valuable qualities, as well as productiveness." 



In Science, vol. 1, 1883, Prof. jST. S. Shaler, referring to this 

 subject, says: " It seems possible to improve this pasture by 

 the introduction of other forage plants indigenous to regions 

 having something like the same climate. The regions likely to 

 furnish plants calculated to flourish in a region of low rainfall 

 include a large part of the earth's surface. Those that would 

 succeed in Dakota are not likely to do well in Texas or Arizona. 

 For the northern region, the uplands of northern Asia or Pata- 

 gonia are the most promising fields of search ; while for the mid- 

 dle and southern fields, the valley of the La Plata, southern 

 Africa, Australia, and the Algerian district may be looked to 

 for suitable species." He recommends three experiment sta- 

 tions, — one in Nebraska, one in Texas, and one in Arizona. 



In this connection, when we remember that exotic plants often 

 thrive better than natives, we see what a vast field lies ready for 

 experimenting with the grasses. As we have seen, private en- 

 terprise has done little. Grasses look much alike to all who 



