116 RURAL CALIFORNIA 



stock later, to graze the "dry feed/' and distribute 

 the seed of the mature plants, remains the most prom- 

 ising prescription for wild pasture maintenance. 



During the last few years, several coarse summer- 

 growing plants have been introduced and have shown 

 promise of giving large weights of forage on naturally 

 moist or irrigated lands, but they are either dead or 

 dormant during the rainy season and, therefore, do 

 not meet the prevalent requirements for success in 

 this connection. This is also true of Bermuda-grass 

 (Cynodon dactylon) which has invaded cultivated 

 land where its presence is not desired while it has 

 satisfied a few with its river and levee bank-holding, 

 and its tolerance of a certain amount of alkali in the 

 soil. 



Some gold-seeker coming around the Horn and 

 tarrying in Chile or some Chilean sending plants and 

 seeds for sale in San Francisco (for such traffic is on 

 record) introduced to California seed of a plant 

 called "Chilean clover" in 1851 or earlier. In that 

 year forty acres were sown by W. E. Cameron on the 

 bank of the Yuba Eiver near Marysville. About forty 

 acres were sown each year afterwards on the same 

 ranch, until in 1858 there were 270 acres well set 

 with the plant. The alfalfa was pastured from Feb- 

 ruary 1 to December 1, 1857, for hire at the rate of 

 $3 per capita a month. The books showed that 

 2270 head were pastured for ten months or an average 

 of 227 a month or over eight head to the acre, cash 

 receipts being $25 an acre each month. The alfalfa 

 in three fields had been fed down twice and on June 



