412 



GRASSES O? IOWA. 



from two to live inches long. This is common throughout the state, 

 especially in low places along the borders of streams, and 

 forms an important ingredient of the forage of the Missouri 

 river valley, where it is held in high esteem. It can only be of 

 value when cut early. This has been grown experimentally on 

 the college grounds and succeeded admirably, but it does not 

 commend itself to general cultivation, owing to the more or 

 less weedy charac'er of the culms It is an excellent soil 

 binder, and for meadows where the soil is apt to be washed, it 

 is an admirable grass. In this state it is generally known as 

 slough grass because it occurs in low grounds. It is one of 

 the chief grasses of the Missouri river bot'oms, where it does 

 much to keep the alluvial soil from b ing washed away. It is 

 cut extensively for hay along the Missouri and Mississippi 

 rivers, and though the fodder is course, is held in high esteem 

 because it is productive. This hay brings less in the market 

 than any of our other wild species. 



CHEMICAL, COMPOSITION. 



The chemical composition of fresh water cord grass {Spart- 

 ina cynosuroides) may te shown by the following analyses made 

 in the laboratory : 



Simp'.e 1. Collected April 23, 189'o, 6 inches to 1 foot high. 



Simple 2. Collected May 7, 1S96, 16 to 24 inches high. 



Sample 3. Collected May 20, 1896, 36 to 38 inches hi^h 



fe-ample 4. ("oUected June I, 1896, 46 to 48 inches high. 



Sample 5. Collected June 10, 1896, 50 lo 56 inches high. 



Sample 6. Collected June 20, 1896, 53 to 55 inches high. 



Sample 7. Collected July 20, 1896, 62 to 63 inches high. 



NATURAL CONDITION. 



Sample 1 

 Sample 2 

 Sample 3 

 Sample 4 

 Sample 5 

 Sample 6 

 trample 7 



O +3 



11.29 

 13.30 

 14.00 

 15 52 

 18.66 

 18.43 

 18 84 



