UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 617 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 



< 2fLr£"^\jV 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



September 23, 1919 



AUSTRALIAN SALTBUSH. 



By Roland McKee, Assistant Agrostologist, Office of Forage-Crop Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Early tests of the Australian saltbush 1 



Description of the plant 2 



Distribution 3 



Climatic requirements 5 



Soil requirements 7 



Drought resistance 7 



Analyses of the plant 8 



Value for pasture 8 



Seeding on range lands 9 



Seeding under cultivation 9 



Harvesting for soiling 10 



Harvesting for seed 10 



Value for hay 10 



Diseases 10 



Summary 11 



EARLY TESTS OF THE AUSTRALIAN SALTBUSH. 



The Australian saltbush (Atriplex semihaccata) was introduced 

 into the United States some 25 years ago and was distributed more 

 or less generally throughout the arid and semiarid regions. The very 

 high hopes held at that time regarding its prospective value have not 

 been realized. Except in California and Arizona the plantings 

 resulted in failure, and in those States under cultivation it is unable 

 to compete with more productive crops, like alfalfa and beans. In 

 early trials in California it did quite well and was so reported by the 

 State experiment station writers and others. The early plantings 

 in Arizona resulted in failure and only with the development of irriga- 

 tion has it become well established in that State. For a number of 

 years, and especially between the years 1900 and 1910, Australian 

 saltbush seed was grown by the California experimental substation, 

 located at Tulare, and by Mr. Guy E. Heaton, of Paso Robles, Calif. 

 The seed grown at these places was distributed gratis or sold through 

 commercial channels, and the larger part was probably planted 

 on the arid range lands of the Southwest. 



Except in California, plantings made on the range lands were 

 failures, and in general the use of this saltbush for range purposes was 

 not considered a success. However, some of the plantings along the 



122221°— 19— Bull. 617 



