GL14 

 (leaf 2) 



Ordinarily, wire rush remains green all summer, even on such seem- 

 ingly dry situations as flats and eroded meadows, but this probably 

 results because of little competition with other species and the abil- 

 ity of its deep root system to obtain ample moisture. On some sites, 

 however, this plant customarily matures by midsummer. This is 

 particularly true of certain meadows which are extremely wet in 

 the spring but later become exceedingly dry. Naturally, the pala- 

 tability is greatest while the plant is green; in fact, under most 

 range conditions, the forage is practically worthless after attaining 

 maturity, when it turns brown. 



Wire rush withstands close use longer than most forage plants, 

 because of its strongly developed system of underground stems. In 

 addition to numerous and extensive fibrous roots, it has thick, strong, 

 long-creeping rootstocks from which leaf -bearing (aerial) stems arise 

 at frequent intervals. As long as these rootstocks remain vigorous 

 and continue to elongate and send up new leafy shoots, the produc- 

 tion of seed is not necessary to maintain the stand. Under continued 

 cropping and where the moisture supply is at all favorable, wire 

 rush produces new growth throughout the growing season. Ordi- 

 narily, this process may continue for many years before the plant 

 finally loses its vigor and dies. 



Its ability to withstand close use often makes this species invalua- 

 ble in soil protection, as it is one of the last plants of the original 

 meadow association to disappear on overgrazed and eroded areas. 

 Where dense, the numerous rootstocks and roots compose a matlike 

 layer, which protects the surface soil very effectively. Unless this 

 mat is undercut, as by a gulley, or its strength decreased through 

 death of the plants, it will ordinarily protect the meadow soil against 

 destructive erosion for an indefinite period. 



Wire rush is probably one of the most common rushes occurring 

 in the meadow hays of the Western States. 1 2 It is usually inter- 

 mingled with sedges and grasses, but sometimes, particularly on wet 

 or overirrigated areas, it may form the bulk of the harvest. Ordi- 

 narily, it cures well as a green-colored hay, which frequently is much 

 more palatable than the herbage of the living plant in pasture or on 

 the range. Chemical analysis 2 seems to indicate that wire rush 

 ranks high in potential nutritive value, and. is similar to timothy 

 and alfalfa in proportions of nitrogen-free extract and crude fiber. 

 It is definitely superior to timothy in crude protein content, but 

 alfalfa excels wire rush in crude protein by about 3 percent. 



Many of the American Indian tribes used the wiry stems of wire 

 rush in manufacturing various articles. The Klamath Indians of 

 Oregon, 3 and the White Mountain Apaches of the Arizona Plateau, 4 



1 Griffiths, D. FORAGE CONDITIONS AND PROBLEMS IN EASTERN WASHINGTON, EASTERN 



OREGON, NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA, AND NORTHWESTERN NEVADA. IL S. Dept. Agr., Bur. 



Plant Indus. Bull. 38, 52 pp., illus. 1903. 



2 Knight, H. G., Hepner, F. E., and Nelson, A. WYOMING FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR 

 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION STUDIES NO. 2. Wyo. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bull. 70, 75 pp , illus 

 1906. 



8 Coville, F. V. NOTES ON THE PLANTS USED BY THE KLAMATH INDIANS OF OREGON, 

 U. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Bot., Contrib. U. S. Natl. Herbarium 5 : 87-108. 1897. 



4 Coville, F. V. In Mason, O. T. ABORIGINAL AMERICAN BASKETRY : STUDIES IN A 

 TEXTILE ART WITHOUT MACHiNBBi. U. S. Natl. Mus. Kept. 1901-1902 : 171-548, illus. 1904, 



