354 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



Rocky Mountain region, is a troublesome weed in Colorado, 

 Utah and other states. This grass matures before alfalfa, 

 and the long bearded spikelets are very injurious to live 

 stock. When squirrel-tail is very abundant, the first 

 crop of alfalfa is rendered practically worthless. Such 

 a crop is sometimes cut while very young before the 

 squirrel-tail is mature enough to be objectionable to 

 animals. 



Wall-barley (Hordeum murinum) is a winter annual 

 from the Mediterranean region abundant in California. 

 Like squirrel-tail, it is very objectionable on account of 

 its bearded glumes, but, before these are formed, provides 

 good early pasturage. It is a common practice to burn 

 this grass when dry. Where abundant, it may ruin the 

 first crop of alfalfa. 



419. Dodder or love-vine. This parasite or weed is 

 often very injurious in alfalfa fields. Alfalfa fields usually 

 become infested by sowing dodder seed mixed in with 

 alfalfa. The dodder seed germinates in the ground, and 

 the young plantlets quickly twine about the alfalfa seed- 

 lings. Thereafter, they are parasitic on the alfalfa, ab- 

 sorbing their nourishment by means of sucker-like organs 

 which penetrate the host. Dodder usually appears in 

 alfalfa fields in small isolated spots which rapidly grow 

 larger if the weed is not destroyed. 



Four species of dodder have been found infesting alfalfa 

 in the United States ; namely, Cuscuta planiflora, C. 

 indecora, C. epithymum and C. arvensis. The last named 

 is native to America, infesting many kinds of herbaceous 

 plants, while the other three are of Old World origin. 

 Cuscuta planiflora is the most abundant and most injurious 

 species on alfalfa in the West. 



The best way to prevent this weed is to avoid planting 



