5 o 



places under the trees on Talbot's range. It has somewhat the 

 general appearance of alfalfa when growing. The ground was 

 entirely given up to it for a distance of fifty yards or more. A 

 patch in the vicinity of a bear trapper's camp was cut and dried 

 a little, and then fed to the camp horses, who enjoyed it even 

 better than when fresh. If introduced into cultivation this vetch 

 is likely to prove valuable. Seed should be collected at the 

 earliest opportunity and experimented with. It has strong 

 underground stems or runners, which form a thick mat and 

 enable it to withstand trampling. Jared G. Smith' 1 ' speaks of a 

 related species (Lotus Americanus} as follows: 



" It is very common in the prairie region, especially along 

 the upper Missouri, and in some parts of California. It blooms 

 all summer, and being readily eaten by all kinds of stock, is, on 

 this account, a valuable plant on the ranges, withstanding close 

 pasturing and trampling, and receding itself freely, no matter 

 how closely it may be eaten down. Cattle and sheep become 

 'rolling fat' on pastures where this vetch abounds. It is one of 

 the most promising native forage plants, and should be given an 

 extended trial in cultivation, being particularly adapted to the 

 drier soils." 



As the above mentioned is an annual and the Torrey's wild 

 vetch a perennial, it is quite probable that the latter might prove 

 to be a more valuable forage plant for the wooded ranges. Sheep 

 are very fond of it and it is considered a rich feed. 



LUPINES. 

 PL. XXV. 



The lupines can be easily recognized by their peculiar leaves. 

 The leaf is made up of from seven to eleven parts, which radiate 

 from a central stem somewhat resembling the fingers of one's 

 hand. For this reason they are sometimes called ten-finger. 

 Other names for these plants, which are more or less in general 

 use, are pea-vine, wild pea and wild bean. From the careful 

 investigations of Chestnut and Wilcox** in Montana, it appears 



^Bulletin 2, Division of Agrostology, p. 23. 



**Bulletin 26, Division of Botany, U. S. Department of Agriculture, pp. 



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