HORDEAE 171 



versed, i. e., the soil drier and the temperature higher, there 

 is a correspondingly larger proportion of grasses present in 

 the hay. Work stock accustomed to alfalfa eat any of the 

 resulting hay very poorly and select the grass as the less ob- 

 jectionable, refusing the rushes until they are very hungry. 

 Stock accustomed to it eat it much more freely. Data as ta 

 its actual feeding value have not yet been obtained, but it is 

 probably something like corn stover or quite possibly not 

 so good. 



There are eighteen or possibly more species of the 

 rushes found growing in the State and they belong to two 

 genera that may be distinguished by the leaves. In one genus 

 (Jimcoides) the base of the leaf forms a completely enclosing 

 sheath fitting as a hollow tube all around the stem. Three 

 species of this genus all having flat grass-like green leaves 

 are to hs found mostly above the timber line on the high peaks 

 of the I'Orthern end of the State. The other genus (Jinicns) 

 has leaves in which the sheaths are merely clasping, but the 

 edges not grown together so as to form a tube. This is 

 the more common genus and several of its species are those 

 alread}" mentioned as being of some, though not of very great 

 economic importance. Of the fifteen species here listed a 

 little more than half are to be found growing where they 

 add somewhat to the forage crop, numbers 2, 3, 6. 7, 13, and 

 15 being the most abundant and important. Of these, num- 

 bers 3 and 15 are most common at lower levels in bogg>^ or 

 ■moist places or l^eside seeps and small streams in the hotter 

 and drier mountains and number 3 sometimes occurs on the 

 lower plains where the soil is dry. The others are nowhere 

 common below 6000 to 6500 feet and occur most frequently 

 at from 8000 to 9000 feet elevation. 



X iiere are no distinctive common names for the si^ecies; 

 in fact very few individuals recognize them as being in any 

 way different from grasses. Almost all of them are i^eren- 

 nials. 18 inches for rarely up to 2 feet) high or less, mostly 

 forming tufts of smooth, tough, green stems, without joints; 



