552 AGRICULTURE. 



Many of the grasses of this extensive region are popularly 

 known as "bunch-grass," from their habit of growth ; others are 

 known as " mesquite " and "grama-grass." These consist of 

 many species of different genera, some of them more or less 

 local and sparingly distributed, others having a wide range from 

 Mexico to British America. 



The most important of the "bunch-grasses" may be briefly 

 mentioned as follows : Of the genus Stipa there are several 

 species ; Stipa comata and Stipa setigera occur abundantly in 

 New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and California, reaching to Ore- 

 gon. In Colorado, Kansas, and all the prairie region northward, 

 stretching into British America, Stipa spartea is the principal 

 one of the genus. On the higher plateaus, and near the moun- 

 tains, the Stipa viridula is very common, extending from Arizona 

 to Oregon and British America. Somewhat related botanically 

 is Oryzopsis cuspidata, a very rigid bunch-grass, with a fine, 

 handsome panicle of flowers. It is equally widespread with 

 the preceding. Another widely diffused grass is Deschampsia 

 caspitosa, varying much in size and thriftiness, according to the 

 altitude and amount of moisture where it grows, but always hav- 

 ing a light, elegant, spreading panicle of silvery gray flowers. 



One of the most extensively diffused grasses is Kceleria 

 cristata, varying in height from one foot to two and one-half 

 feet, with a narrow and closely flowered spike. Several species 

 of fescue-grass (Festucd) are intermixed with the vegetation in 

 varying proportions ; the most important of fhese, probably, are 

 Festuca ovina in several varieties, and Festuca scabrella, the latter 

 especially in California, Oregon, and Washington. 



The genus Calamagrostis (or Deyeuxia, as it has been called) 

 furnishes several species which contribute largely to the vege- 

 tation of this region. They are mostly tall, stiff, and coarse 

 grasses, but leafy, and some of them very nutritious. Of these, 

 Calamagrostis sylvatica and Calamagrostis neglecta are the least 

 valuable. Perhaps the best of them is Calamagrostis Canadensis, 

 which is soft and leafy. Next in value, probably, is Calamagros- 

 tis Aleutica, of California and Oregon, extending into Alaska. 

 Calamagrostis (Ammophild) longifolia, confined chiefly to the 

 plains east of the Rocky Mountains, is tall and reed-like, grow- 

 ing in dense clumps, from four to six feet high. 



