1890.] Botany. 181 
Grasses of Box Butte and Cheyenne Counties, Nebraska. 
—On August 21st, 1889, I started out from Alliance, Neb., on a short 
trip of observation to determine particularly the grass flora of southern 
Box Butte and northern Cheyenne counties. 
Alliance is about four miles east of the 103d meridian west of 
Greenwich, directly on the line of the 42d parallel. The town lies 
on a broad level plain, which appears to have been at one time the 
bed of a lake. Southward and eastward, from eight to ten miles 
distant, are the sand hills. To the west is the broad valley of Snake 
Creek, a creek which, like nearly all of the streams of this region, 
flows from the sand, rushes rapidly forward a few miles, and disappears, 
losing itself in the sand. North and northwestward the land rises 
toward Pine Ridge. The only apparent outlet of this lake basin is 
toward the east, in a pass through the sand hills. 
On this level plain, parched and barren under the August sun, the 
principal grasses found were Gramma, Bouteloua oligostachya Torr., and 
its near relative Bouteloua hirsuta Lag., Buffalo-grass, Buchloé dacty- 
oides Engelm., wild wheat grass, Agropyrum glaucum R. & S., and 
two others, very common, but of no agricultural value, a Beard-grass 
Stipa sp.—near comata Trin., and prairie wire-grass, Sekethi 
texanus Steudel. The great bulk of the prairie grass was Gramma, and 
I was told that it is she pasture grass of the region. 
On the morning of the day named, I went in company with Mr. 
Nelson Fletcher, of Alliance, to a natural meadow of about 350 acres, 
lying in the Snake Creek valley, just at the foot of the sand-hills south- 
east of the town. The ground was wet but not swampy, and the rank 
plant growth which covered it formed a pleasing contrast to the swel- 
tering sandy slopes around the meadow. ‘The chief grass was Agro- 
pyrum glaucum, which differed from the form found around Lincoln in 
having longer and less harsh leaves. Mixed with it were Andropogon 
scoparius Michx., A. provincialas L., SRNE glomerata Trin. 
Elymus canadensis L., and Panicum virgatum L. 
With these grasses were tall golden rods, purple blazing stars, and 
white-flowered asters, altogether making a brilliant flowery oasis in a 
sandy desert. The growth was very even, from 2% to 4 feet high. 
Mr. Fletcher said that although no hay is cut on the open prairies 
enough is obtained from these natural meadows, and it is hay of very 
good quality, so that the average price ranges from two to four dollars 
per ton. 
About a mile east of this meadow stood what appeared to be a large 
field of corn, but on nearer approach it proved to be Reed grass Phrag- 
