CHAPTER X 

 NATIVE FORAGE GRASSES 



The grazing industry is an important branch of agri- 

 culture. As the term is usually applied, it refers to the 

 raising of stock upon large areas of native pasture. 

 Formerly the native pasture was chiefly public land com- 

 monly known as range. As time passes the area of public 

 land becomes less and that privately owned becomes 

 greater, the latter usually being fenced. Furthermore 

 the National Forests formerly open to the public are 

 now subject to grazing only under lease. It is not the 

 purpose here to discuss policies or details concerning 

 grazing or the stock industry, but to point out the 

 importance of grasses as a basic element in this industry. 



Native pasture or range consists of a great variety of 

 plants. In times of stress, stock may be forced to feed 

 upon many kinds of vegetation that cannot be classed 

 as forage plants, in fact may eat any shrub or herb that 

 is not actually inedible because of spines or prickles, or 

 because of being too woody or fibrous. Of those plants 

 which are eaten from choice, the grasses are by far the 

 most important. The principal grazing areas lie west 

 of the iooth meridian. Formerly nearly all of the east- 

 ern portion of the Great Plains was devoted to stock 

 raising but a large proportion of this region is now de- 

 voted to crop raising and to stock raising as a part of 

 general farming. The range region of the western 



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