Giant wild-rye is appropriately named; it is the largest of our 

 native wild-ryes and perhaps the largest grass commonly found 

 on western ranges. It is a coarse, robust plant with stems up to 12 

 feet high and growing in large bunches, often several feet in diam- 

 eter, from short, thick, knotted, perennial rootstocks. This species 

 occurs in all the far Western States except New Mexico, ranging 

 from British Columbia and Saskatchewan to Nebraska, Arizona, 

 and California. It is fairly abundant in the Northwest, in south- 

 western Wyoming, and in parts of Utah, Nevada, and California. 

 This bunchgrass usually grows in moist or wet saline situations 

 in bottomlands, along stream and ditch banks, and in gullies and 

 canyons. It is also found in moderately dry, rich soils, not 

 uncommonly associated with wheatgrass and sagebrush. 



Giant wild-rye is grazed to some extent while young, but soon 

 becomes coarse and tough and is not utilized as summer forage, if 

 more palatable feed is available. However, the plants produce an 

 enormous amount of forage and, where allowed to stand, provide 

 a considerable amount of winter feed for cattle and horses. 

 Formerly, this species was very important as a winter forage plant 

 in parts of Nevada, but overgrazing, especially during the spring 

 months, when growth was starting, has greatly reduced or eliminated 

 it. It has been almost entirely replaced on many such areas by a 

 species of dropseed which is practically unpalatable. In Nevada 

 giant wild-rye formerly occurred chiefly in the valley bottoms often 

 in large patches several miles in extent. The pioneer cattlemen 

 established ranches in many of these bottoms, utilizing the wild- 

 rye for hay. It still thrives on many fields which were fenced and 

 protected for hay production. Old time freighters report that they 

 never carried hay for their oxen but turned them loose at evening 

 in patches of this grass, which were so extensive, tall, and dense 

 that the beasts were often lost for several days. Today the grass 

 cover is so scanty on some of those same areas which have been 

 seriously overgrazed that cattle are easily visible across the entire 

 area. 



Prof. F. Lamson-Scribner made observations on Montana grasses 

 in 1883 and is quoted by Dr. Vasey 1 as follows : 



Elymus condensatus, or wild-rye grass * * * grows along streams and 

 rivers often covering extensive areas. It is valued chiefly as a winter forage 

 plant. It yields a great bulk of coarse hay but is seldom harvested. Where 

 growing in fields of blue-joint the blue-joint is cut and the rye grass is left 

 standing. If cut before flowering it makes good hay, but if left until it comes 

 into flower it is not only too hard for hay but is too hard to cut except 

 with a bush scythe. 



In Oregon and Washington, where giant wild-rye occurs in con- 

 siderable abundance, this species is extensively cut for hay and, if 

 mowed early, provides fair roughage. It is moderately palatable to 

 cattle and horses in California and the Northwest, except during 

 the fall, when it becomes very hard and dry. After the winter 

 rains begin it softens and is again grazed. Giant wild-rye rates as 

 an inferior forage species, insofar as palatability and nutritive qual- 



1 Vasey, G. THE AGRICULTURAL GUASSES OF THE UNITED STATES. U. S. Dept. Agr. Kept. 

 32: 1-115, illus. 1884. 



