GRASS-CROP AREAS 81 
the coast where the soil is often acid, redtop becomes the 
dominant forage grass (Par. 32). 
111. The Bermuda-grass area—This area occupies 
the region south of the timothy area and wes .o include 
eastern Texas. Approximately this is also the cotton 
region. The annual rainfall is sufficient for such forage 
plants as timothy and clover but the summers are too 
long and hot for the development of these crops. Some of 
the annual plants of the timothy region such as the grains, 
vetches, and crimson clover, can be grown in the south as 
winter forage crops. The rye-grasses, though short-lived 
perennials, can be treated as annuals and will give good 
results when sown in the fall for winter forage. (See Far- 
mers’ Bulletin No. 509.) 
112. The Great Plains—This is the area lying between 
the Rocky Mountains and the two areas mentioned above 
and extending from north to south across the United 
States, and beyond its boundaries in each direction. The 
annual rainfall along the eastern border is about 30 inches. 
This decreases westward until it is about 15 inches at the 
base of the mountains. This amount is too small for the 
production of crops adapted to the humid region but many 
specially adapted crops can be raised without irrigation 
in the eastern half of the belt. The region is devoid of 
forest except along the streams of the eastern part. 
Before the land was occupied by man these plains were 
covered with grass, the dominant species being buffalo- 
grass, grama-grass and curly mesquite, all low grasses 
that form a close sod. The early settlers used the sod to 
make sod houses. 
The Great Plains are eminently adapted to stock- 
grazing and there are throughout, but more particularly 
in the western part, numerous large stock ranches. The 
F 
