PROGRESS OF THE RANGE BUSINESS 49 



over the West, the grama is the most valuable and stable 

 of all the grasses. On the great grassy plains of Texas 

 and eastern New Mexico, the staked plains (El Llano 

 Estacado Yah-no Es-ta-cah-do) of the olden days, the 

 grama is the prevailing grass. 



The staked plains were so called because of the story 

 that one of the early Spanish exploring expeditions in 

 western Texas, in order to mark their trail, placed stakes 

 at intervals along certain parts of their route, which re- 

 mained for many years as a guide to travelers. The more 

 likely but less romantic reason is that vast stretches of 

 the plains bear great quantities of the Spanish -bayonet 

 (yucca) whose tall pole-like stalks dry out and look like a 

 forest of fish poles. Seen at a distance these yucca stalks 

 are not unlike stakes, hence the probability of the origin 

 of the name from this cause. 



Southwestern Grasses. Here too is found the buffalo 

 grass (Bulbilis dactyloides) and the curly mesquite (Hil- 

 aria cenchroides), both somewhat similar in appearance 

 and characteristics of growth. Buffalo grass may easily 

 be known from the ordinary gramas, for, while having 

 the same peculiar spikes or seed heads, it is alone in its 

 peculiar creeping habits with little rootlets springing 

 from each joint much as does the Bermuda grass (Cap- 

 riola dactylon). 



There is an immense amount of misinformation all 

 over the West among stockmen regarding the names of 

 these common grasses, so that a study of the plates show- 

 ing them should repay many readers. 



Black Grama Grass. Take black grama, for instance. 

 Most stockmen apply this name to the ordinary grama 

 which is most prevalent but which is really blue grama 

 (Bouteloua oligostachya) or galleta (gai-et-ta) (hilaria). 



