SUDAN GEASS AND RELATED PLANTS. 19 



from Apache County, Ariz., in 1915, this grass produced a hay crop 

 4 to 5 feet high and sometimes matured seed without irrigation at an 

 altitude of 6,000 to 6,800 feet, and in 1916 it grew 5 to 6 feet high and 

 yielded 2 tons to the acre under irrigation at Eagar, Apache County 

 (7,600 feet). At Currie, Elko County, Nev. (7,380 feet), 1 ton per 

 acre without irrigation was reported in 1916. At Santa Fe, N. Mex. 

 (7,000 feet), one satisfactory cutting was secured on dry land, but two 

 or three farmers in that State report entire failure at 8,000 feet. In 

 southwestern Colorado at altitudes of 6,500 to 7,000 feet, Sudan 

 grass grew 3 to 5 feet high and made satisfactory hay cuttings. It 

 attained a height of 2 feet at Placerville, San Miguel County (9,000 

 feet) , and did equally well at Grand Valley, Garfield County, which is 

 over 8,000 feet high. Many failures, however, have been reported 

 from Colorado, especially in 1915, at altitudes above 6,000 feet. In 

 Wyoming Sudan grass has been a failure at Laramie (7,000 feet), has 

 sometimes grown 3 to 5 feet high at Cheyenne and other points at 

 6,000 feet, but has appeared to be valuable only in the northeastern 

 part of the State at the lower altitudes (4,000 to 5,000 feet). In 

 Utah in 1916 Sudan grass grew but 2\ feet high at 6,500 feet in Grand 

 County, made \\ tons per acre at 7,000 feet in San Juan County, but 

 froze at 8,300 feet in Carbon County when 4 inches high. In Montana 

 under irrigation Sudan grass produced 4 tons of hay per acre in 1914 

 and 3 tons in 1916 at Bozeman (4,887 feet), but has been satisfactory 

 in less than half the dry-land tests in Fergus County (4,000 feet). In 

 Idaho and Oregon the crop has been successful only in the lower 

 altitudes, frost having killed or injured many plats on the dry lands 

 of those States above 3,000 or 4,000 feet high. In both Oregon and 

 Washington Sudan grass has been found valuable only at the lower 

 altitudes. It can be planted with a reasonable chance of success in 

 the valleys, both to the east and to the west of the Cascade Range. 

 In the Willamette Valley, Oreg., and along the coastal plain in Wash- 

 ington other forage crops, such as alfalfa and the small grains, which 

 will outyield Sudan grass, are available, but even in these localities it 

 can be profitably used for soiling and as an emergency hay crop. 



The limit of altitude for seed production is at least 1,000 feet lower 

 than for hay, because under cool conditions it takes a month or more 

 to mature seed after the crop has reached the proper stage of maturity 

 to cut for hay. 



MOISTURE REQUIREMENTS. 



The drought endurance of Sudan grass is equal but not superior to 

 that of the best sorghums. Its extensive fibrous root system enables 

 the crop to grow as long as there is any available moisture in the soil. 

 It has repeatedly shown ability to discontinue growth but continue 

 alive during a period of drought and then revive quickly and grow 

 vigorously when rain comes. It must have moisture, however, and 



