3 HAY AND FODDER. 



stalk and the restriction of the foliage to its summit make 

 a Bracken plot look solid from above but like a minia- 

 ture open forest from within. In this respect the Bracken 

 is distinct from our other native ferns, and so its habit 

 forms an easy means of identification. At fruiting time 

 the sporangia are also of value for identification. They 

 are borne in a continuous line under the infolded margin 

 of the leaflets. 



GRASS FAMILY Gmmineae. 

 SKUNK-TAIL GRASS Hordeum jubatum L. 



Other Common Names : Squirrel-tail Grass, Skunk- 

 grass, Wild Barley, and improperly in the Prairie Pro- 

 vinces, Foxtail. 



No poisonous compound is contained in this grass, but 



it causes a great deal of trouble to horses, sheep and cattle 



owing to its sharp awns, which break and 



I * r * 



ji rni enter the mucous membranes of the mouth and 

 gums. Horses are troubled much more than 

 cattle, as their mouths are more tender. Inflammation, 

 ulceration and formation of pus follow, and in some cases 

 the gums are diseased to such an extent that the teeth 

 become loose and fall out. A quotation from Dr. S. H. 

 Johnson by Pammel, states: "I have seen lips eaten 

 through, and tongues eaten almost off by the grass." 



The plant is .a biennial, or winter annual, growing in 



waste places and neglected fields, along roadsides and on 



the open prairie, especially on moist slopes and 



on cut-over sloughs. Its fibrous roots form 



compact, tangled masses. The stems are in clumps or in 



compact formations, from six inches to two feet tall, with 



slender leaves and dense fruiting spikes, turning a faded 



