58 

 W. A. McKing, Little Stony, Colusa County, Central California: 



Tlie great need of California, and of my section especially, is a grass that will with- 

 stand our summer drought without irrigation. Johnson Grass and Milium multiflorum 

 [Lryzopsis multiflora] promise well, but have decided faults. There is a period every 

 year in the State, when the fall rains have rotted the dry feed and Alfalfa and John- 

 son Grasses are dormant, that is very distressing. A grass that could be irrigated in 

 September, and be from the first of October to the first of April what Alfalfa is during 

 the rest of the season, would be of great benefit. 



W. A. Sanders, Sanders, Fresno County, Californa : 



If any one plant wilL furnish what we get from Alfalfa and Bamboo — viz, pasture 

 and feed in abundance for the entire year — that plant we desire to find. But it must 

 resist drought in summer and frost in winter, and must be of enormous growth on a 

 small amount of moisture. 



I send specimens of two native weeds of far more value for forage, and also for 

 hay, than Alfilaria ; these are Eritrichium Chorisianum, locally known as "White Blos- 

 som," and Amsinckia spectabilis, called '' Yellow Blossom," or " Fiddle-neck." Both are 

 of the Borage family, are of enormous growth, are highly nutritious, and are greedily 

 eaten by all kinds of stock. 



Alfilaria gets most of the credit for the immense amount of food which they furnish. 

 They are dirty-looking, uninviting weeds, and only old stockmen know their value ; 

 but with such as have raised stock here for a number of decades they are more highly 

 prized than any other native plant. 



Alfilaria always grows among them. None of the three are cultivated. 



W. C. Cusick, Union, Oreg. : 



Our special needs in the way of forage plants for the region east of the Cascade 

 Range, are grasses or clovers that will mature on dry soil, with our limited amount of 

 rainfall, a sufficient amount of forage to be profitable for mowing, at the same time 

 being hardy. I doubt if we shall find anything to excel some of our native grasses 

 for this purpose. 



