8 



BULLETIN 617, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



a number of other desert plants, including other species of Atriplex, 

 are found in abundance. The absence of this saltbush in these 

 regions is perhaps due in part to the fact that considerable humidity 

 and surface soil moisture are essential for the germination of the 

 seed and growth of the young plant, and such conditions seldom exist 

 at any period of the year in the regions mentioned. 



ANALYSES OF THE PLANT. 



In Tables II and III are given analyses of the tops or stems and 

 leaves of Australian saltbush plants. In Table II only the sodium- 

 chlorid content is shown. An attempt has been made to correlate 

 the sodium-chlorid content of the plant with the sodium-chlorid con- 

 tent of the soil in which it was growing. It will be noted that the 

 plants containing the greatest percentage of sodium chlorid were 

 grown in the soil having the greatest percentage of tins substance. 

 This relation, however, does not always hold true, for some of the 

 soils with low sodium-chlorid content produce plants high in this 

 substance; but in general there seems to be a positive correlation 

 between soils with high sodium-chlorid content and plants high in 

 this compound. 



The analyses given in Table III show that saltbush forage has a 

 comparatively high content of protein and of nitrogen-free extract 

 and crude fat. These data, however, are not indicative of its feeding 

 value, as the high sodium-chlorid content has to be taken into 

 consideration. 



Table III. — Composition of the Australian saltbush compared with that of alfalfa. 

 [From Farmers' Bulletin 108, p. 15.] 





Constituents (per cent). 



Material. 



Moisture. 



Ash. 



Crude 



protein. 



Crude 

 fiber. 



Nitrogen- 

 free 

 extract. 



Crude 

 fat. 



Green stems and leaves: 



78.03 

 75.04 



,.« 



10. 95 



4.58 

 _ 1.80 



19.37 

 6.43 



2.75 

 4.91 



11.64 



17.60 



3.75 

 6.34 



15.88 

 22.63 



10.41 

 11.09 



44. 05 

 39.31 



0.48 



Alfalfa 



Hay samples: 



.86 

 2.01 



Alfalfa 



3. OS 



VALUE FOR PASTURE. 



In regions to which it is adapted the Australian saltbush is quite 

 aggressive and this characteristic makes it more valuable for pasture 

 purposes. It grows readily from seed and is distributed by the 

 seed being carried in various ways from place to place. The intro- 

 duction of this saltbush into new localities has followed the traveled 

 highways, railroads, and overland trails. 



