IMPORTANT RANGE PLANTS. 15 



results in nearly every case, one germination test, the highest of all, 

 giving 98.5 per cent. 



Among stockmen there is much diversity of opinion as to the forage 

 value of pine grass. While it may not be included in the category 

 of choice forage plants, except in the spring when it is young and 

 tender, yet it plays a valuable part on the range. In the spring of the 

 year the leaf blades are eaten with nearly as great relish as any of the 

 native grasses, and judging from the condition of the stock feeding 

 upon it, the species has high nutritive qualities. From early spring 

 to about the middle of July, on the lower ranges, all classes of stock 

 graze it closely and with considerable relish. In the latter part of 

 July, however, the tissues of the leaf blades become fibrous and 

 tough, the plant is not grazed with relish, and is then considered to 

 have a much lower nutritive value. In the fall of the year, after the 

 rains have started, it is again grazed to a limited extent, since the leaf 

 blades are somewhat softened by the precipitation. 



Bluejoint. 



(Calamagrostis canadensis.) 



Bluejoint or marsh pine grass, because it is less abundant and less 

 important than pine grass, is not so well known to stockmen as the 

 latter. Though its distribution is about the same, it does not inhabit 

 pine forests, but grows in marshes and swales and along moist stream 

 banks. The local name is derived from its resemblance to typical 

 pine grass, to which it is closely related. 



The two species may readily be distinguished by the panicle (com- 

 pare Plates X and XI), which in pine grass is dense or contracted 

 and pale green, while in bluejoint it is very loose and open and tinged 

 with brown or pale purple. The latter does not have the character- 

 istic ring of stiff hairs at the junction of the sheath and blade. The 

 culms of marsh pine grass are erect, from If to 3 feet high; the leaves, 

 smooth, long, wide, and distinctly flat. It has rather shallow, lateral 

 roots. Reproduction by root stocks is prolific, and dense stands are 

 common in favorable situations. 



The wide, flat leaves, shallow roots, and the situations in which 

 marsh pine grass grows indicate its inability to withstand drought. 

 The soil in which it occurs is well supplied with moisture, but is not 

 especially rich in organic matter. In some of the tests the plants 

 did not succumb until the water was reduced to nearly 11 per cent. 

 In the case of two tests the specimens recuperated from the wilted 

 condition when the soil contained an average of 14 per cent of 

 moisture. 



The flower stalks begin to appear about June 25, and by July 20 

 are nearly all sent up. Mature seed can usually be found by August 



