80 AGROSTIDEAE 



The Dropseed Grasses (Sporobolns spp.)- This 

 genus of grasses, represented in New Mexico by twelve 

 species, is one of the most important of the grass genera of the 

 lower levels. With the exception of Sporohohis confiisus, a 

 small annual species usually found in rocky cliffs beside seeps 

 in the mountains, all of the New Mexico species of the genus 

 occur on the sandy mesas and open plains of the southern part 

 of the State. Bunch Grass {Sporobolns airoides) or Salt 

 Grass, as they call it in the southeastern part of the State, is 

 an important range and pasture grass. It is often quite 

 abundant in the lower flats especially where the soil is alka- 

 line. For while it is not always restricted to alkaline soils 

 it will endure a large amount of alkali in the soil and usually 

 lives where the soil is just a little moist, a condition which is 

 often common in alkaline or "gyp" soils, probably due to the 

 ubility of such soils to retain moisture. In a number of the 

 lower open plains this grass is very abundant. It also is 

 fenced in at certain places and used as a pasture grass. Under 

 the latter conditions wherever it gets a fair amount of water 

 it makes pretty good summer feed. It appears to be palatable 

 to horses and cattle only when it is fresh and green in the 

 summer after the rains, and they eat it rather sparingly at best. 

 It is said to be detrimental to sheep at certain stages in its 

 development, causing them to bloat. It also occurs rather 

 sparingly in the sandy soils of the lower valleys on the waste 

 lands not yet in cultivation and it was doubtless formerly one 

 of the very commonest of the grasses of these localities until 

 they were put under irrigation. It not infrequently occurs 

 as a roadside or fence-row weed in cultivated lands. It is a 

 rather coarse grass with numerous green rather stiff leaves 

 and widely branching and spreading panicles of small 1- 

 flowered spikelets : the leaves are often 2 feet long and the 

 panicle 2 to 2 1-2 feet high. The stems are numerous and 

 clustered, forming a big "bunch" often a foot in diameter at 

 the base, thus giving rise to this use of that name. 



Sacaton (Sporobolns zvrigJifii) is another important 



