98 CHLORIDEAE 



the natural adjustment of the native plants he not artificially 

 clisturhed. Ranges that were once almost pure Grama sod 

 but which have been eaten and tramped out by sheep until 

 occupied largely by "sheep weed" or "snake weed" 

 {Guticmr.ia spp. ) usually recover with considerable rapidity; 

 ^nd the weeds arc gradually forced f/Ut by the Grama when 

 the stock is taken off and the range allowed to resume a 

 normal condition. This recovery has been very noticeable 

 within the last four or five years in places in the eastern part 

 of the State where the county laws have prohibited the free 

 ranging of stock, these laws ha\ing been passed as a protec- 

 tion to the crops of the new settlers. This area has been 

 used by both sheep and cattle in the past for many years, and 

 although it was an excellent range country it has been badly 

 overstocked and the range much depleted, with all the result- 

 ant weeds and poor grasses, trails and arroyos. 



There is little doulit in the mind of the author that 

 for ordinary stock pastures of the region where Blue Grama 

 grows well in New Mexico, there is no other' grass that is so 

 valuable for this ])ur]>ose, and tliat the farmers of such 

 regions will do well to husband and encourage it. It is useless 

 to try grasses that require more water because they will not 

 get it. Thicre certainly will be no more rain than now falls 

 and it would not ])ay to pump water on any kind of pasture 

 grass. The Blue Gram.a is drought resistant; grows well 

 when it has rain and doesn't die when there is a shortage; 

 seeds well and reproduces by seed whenever there is 

 abundance of fall and winter rain or snow; cures where it 

 stands and is good feed either green or dry. It has all the 

 qualities that lit it for a pasture grass in an arid region and 

 a little bit of encouragement in the form of loosening up the 

 soil so the rain will sink in and not all evaporate will have a 

 salutory effect upon the grass. One very serious difficulty to 

 be met in this region is the fact that farmers are continually 

 expecting the same results as those obtained in a region of 

 greater precipitation, and are, and of necessity must be, dis- 



