Meadow barley, often known as foxtail, is a fairly tall, leafy 

 bunchgrass, which is perennial over most of its range but is some- 

 times annual in the South. In the United States it ranges from 

 Minnesota and Indiana to Texas, California, and Washington, but 

 the species also extends northward to Alaska and occurs in temper- 

 ate Europe to Asia. This grass is found chiefly in moist soils along 

 streams and in poorly drained meadows and parks, from the plains 

 and foothills upward to the aspen and spruce belts, but typically 

 attains its best development on sunny, open exposures where it often 

 occurs in small, nearly pure stands. It is very common, however, in 

 partial shade as among shrubs and in open aspen stands. 



Before the heads are produced, meadow barley is fairly good to 

 good forage for all classes of livestock. However, after the heads 

 form it is not relished and, since heads develop comparatively early 

 in the season, this plant is grazed for only a relatively short time. 

 On favorable sites this species produces considerable foliage but, 

 because of its localized occurrence and relatively low palatibility 

 at maturity, it generally is of secondary importance as a range for- 

 age plant. Meadow barley tends to increase and replace the more 

 palatable plants in moist meadows and in other sites favorable to 

 its growth, especially if such areas are somewhat overgrazed. This 

 increase evidently takes place because meadow barley is lightly uti- 

 lized and is allowed to mature seed, while the other species are 

 closely cropped. 



This bunchgrass often occupies poorly drained areas in native 

 hay meadows, generally to the exclusion of other species. Although 

 these patches are usually small, meadoAv barley yields about as much 

 hay as the other grasses customarily grown in such meadows, and its 

 bristly spikes apparently do not injure livetock. Hence, the presence 

 of meadow barley unlike foxtail barley neither reduces the yield 

 nor seriously impairs the value of the hay. 



