90 
dangerous to sheep, as they readily become attached to the wool, and may pene- 
trate the flesh of the animal, cipi serious inju Aside from this danger of 
affecting the quality of the wool, and possibly the life of the sheep, this grass 
may be considered a good hor be as ib makes a very good hay, although 
somewhat coarse. It is particularly common in the prairie regions of Iowa, 
Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota, extending westward to the Rocky 
Mountains, where it frequently occurs upon the dry foothills and bench lands. 
Stipa tenacissima Linn. Esparto-grass. 
A native of the sandy regions of southwestern Europe and northern Africa. Itisa 
tall perennial, with long, stiff, and very tough leaves, from which ropes, baskets, 
mats, hats, and other articles are woven. The leaves are employed largely in 
England and this country in the manufacture of paper, for which purpose this 
grass is superior to straw. It is the most important article of export from 
Algeria, and from northern Africa and Spain more than 2,000 tons of Esparto 
h 
$18 to $25 per ton, can be obtained from an aere under favorable circumstances." 
The grass will grow on almost any kind of soil, from that which is poor and 
sandy or gravelly to heavy calcareous and clayey soils. It thrives in the dry 
pup pos oleate = northern Africa, where many millions of acres are covered 
Imo ith it. This grass is extensively ere in the south of 
France, and sí De its introduction into some of our Southwestern districts 
may render profitable, regions now practically ia It may be propagated 
by seeds or by divisions of the root. The latter is the more common method. 
(See Lygeum spartum. 
Stipa viridula Trin. Feather Bunch-grass; Bunch-grass; Wild Oat-grass; Wild 
Oats; Feather-grass. (Fig.86.) 
A rather slender grass, except in the variety noted below, 1 to 3 feet high, growing 
e Rocky Mountain regions and on th a foothills and mesas, from British 
Columbia southward to Mexico and westward to the coast. On good land, under 
irrigation, this grass attains the height of 3 feet or more, and is by far the most 
valuable of the Stipas for hay. The leafy culms are terminated by a narrow, 
many-flowered panicle of comparatively small and rather short-awned spikelets. 
The seed may be easily gathered. The callus at the base of the fruiting glume 
is short and barely pointed and not produced into a long, very sharp, spur-like 
extension, as in Porcupine-grass. A variety of this species, called Sleepy-grass, 
oceurs in the mountain valleys of western Texas, ranging northward to Colo- 
rado. It is a robust form, 3 to 6 feet high, and when green is said to have a 
narcotic effect upon horses and cattle feeding upon it. 
Themeda ciliata. (See Anthistiria ciliata.) 
Thuarea sarmentosa e 
A low, extensively creeping grass, rooting at the joints, with ere. flowering 
branches, short Frios and slender spikes about an inch long. A native of Cey- 
lon, northern Australia, ete., growing on the sands of the coast. It is a tender 
, and may be useful in binding coast sands in tropical conntries or in the 
formation of lawns. 
Thysanolena acarifera Nees. Tiger-grass. 
A tall and showy species of southern Asia, with large panicles of minute e 
It becomes a weed among cultivated crops. A decoction of the root is used as 
rinse for the mouth in cases of fever. 
Trichloris blanchardiana Scribn. 
qum peenaa, 1} to 3 feet high, with flat leaves, and six to eighteen slender, bearded 
x which are 2 to 5 inches long, digitate or fasciculate at the apex of the 
