RUSSIAN BROME GRASS. 187 



stored away in mows or stacks for being threshed later. 

 This method has been found to work well, especially 

 with crops in which the seed stems are numerous. 



Russian brome grass may be threshed with the ordi- 

 nary threshing machine, but when threshing it, the wind 

 has to be nearly or entirely shut off. It is cleaned with 

 the ordinary fanning mill, but when cleaning it thus, 

 due attention must be given to the amount of wind used 

 and to the adjustment of the sieves. 



The yields of the seed vary exceedingly. Usually the 

 best yields are obtained from the first cutting, if the 

 plants are sufficiently numerous. If not, the best yields 

 will probably be obtained from the second cutting, other 

 things being equal. Later, the yields will almost cer- 

 tainly decrease because of the thickening or matting of 

 the grass. The best' yields of seed up to the present have 

 been secured in the prairie provinces of the Canadian 

 Northwest, in North Dakota, in the more northerly of 

 the Rocky mountain valleys, and from the bench lands 

 of the range states south from the Canadian border. As 

 many as 600 pounds of seed have been secured from an 

 acre in the areas specified, but 300 to 400 pounds would 

 probably be an average from crops of the first cutting. 



The seed of this crop as of all other crops not long 

 introduced is high, but it may be obtained by those who 

 can afford to wait, without much outlay. If 15 to 20 

 pounds of seed are secured and sown on properly pre- 

 pared land, the individual could expect the next year 

 to secure, say, 400 pounds of seed from the acre. This 

 would sow nearly 27 acres using 15 pounds to the acre. 

 The seed crop thus grown could, if necessary, be threshed 



