AGROSTIDEAE 81 



member of this genus and one that has been used rather 

 extensively at certain places. It is more exacting as to the 

 amount of water it requires than is 5. airoides, nor will it 

 endure so much alkali in the soil. In certain places not far 

 from Silver City it grows rather abundantly in a narrow 

 arroyo and it has been cut here and at other places in that 

 region as hay grass. Liverymen prefer it as a hay to alfalfa 

 for buggy horses that are rented out for hard service. It is a 

 coarse grass often 5 feet high or more with a spreading pan- 

 icle bearing very numerous single spikelets. If cut at the 

 proper time and thoroughly cured it makes a coarse but pal- 

 atable hay that horses soon learn to eat and seem to relish. It 

 might easily be raised on irrigated lands but it could hardly 

 compete with alfalfa as a hay crop hence it has not been used 

 for this purpose except in restricted localities where alfalfa 

 could not be ^"^rown and where the water supply is in the nature 

 of flood water and very uncertain in quantity. This grass 

 might be encouraged by a little effort and would no doubt 

 respond to .^uch efforts. It produces abundance of seed which 

 live for a long time if kept in a dry place, and germinate read- 

 ily during the summer months if supplied with a little water. 

 Once established the grass can withstand considerable dry 

 weather. Sporoboliis cryptandrus, S. strictus, S. fle.vuosus, 

 and 5. giganteiis occur mostly as scattered plants on the sandy 

 drifting soils of the mesas and valleys where they are long or 

 short lived perennials and act naturally to some extent as 

 sand-binders. They might easily be encouraged in this for 

 they produce considerable seed that germinates rather '"eadily. 

 On such sandy lands that are enclosed and not subject to 

 grazing these grasses and the Needle grasses usually become 

 more abundant and materially assist in holding the water 

 that falls. On the open ran<je they are apt to be eaten out 

 because stock like them. But for their ability to reproduce by 

 seed and the vitality and abundance of seed produced they 

 would probably be well killed out on the open range. 



Neally's Dropseed Grass (Sporobolus nealleyi) is of 



