AUTIFICIAL EESEEDI^G OlT WESTERiif MOXJl^TAlK UAK^GE LANDS 15 



zomes) are in reality stems which creep along beneath the surface 

 of the ground and send forth shoots which eventually become indi- 

 vidual plants when the portion connecting them with the parent 

 plant dies. Such plants are independent of seed production for 

 spreading and establishing a turf and are generally able to withstand 

 grazing and trampling well. 



Curly mesquite grass {Hilaria helmigeri) of the Southwest is one 

 of the most common native grasses which reproduce by stolons. 

 White clover {Trifoliwm repens) is a common cultivated forage 

 plant with stolons. Of the common grasses that spread by root- 

 stocks, cultivated Kentucky bluegrass and common bromegrass and 

 the native bluestem wheatgrass {Agropyron smithii) are probably 

 the most familiar examples. Bermuda grass {Capriola dactylon) 

 has both rootstocks and stolons. 



Those plants which are wholly or almost wholly dependent upon 

 seed for regeneration, such as timothy, orchard grass, and the com- 

 mon native bunch grasses, must be grown and grazed under condi- 

 tions that will permit the production of seed, conditions often lack- 

 ing at the higher elevations. Furthermore, having no creeping un- 

 derground rootstocks, these plants are less resistant to overgrazing 

 and trampling than plants with rootstocks. Most bunch grasses 

 have the ability to thicken the stand by tillering (sending up new 

 shoots from the original crown) and enlarging the size of each indi- 

 vidual bunch or tuft. Under favorable conditions they will occa- 

 sionally form almost a complete ground cover. The common blue 

 grama {Bouteloum gracilis) of the western plains is one of the best 

 examples of those grasses lacking true creeping rootstocks that in 

 favorable localities will produce almost a complete cover. 



The superiority as turf formers of j^lants which possess creeping 

 rootstocks makes it desirable to give them the preference wherever 

 growing conditions and cost of seeding will permit. On the other 

 hand, when conditions are favorable for maturing an abundant seed 

 supply, the "bunch-habit" plants are particularly desirable. In 

 view of the variation among species it is necessary to consider each 

 separately, in order to select the species best adapted to the locality 

 to be sown. 



The species best adapted to each of the rather broad site classi- 

 fications of the mountain range lands of the West are summarized in 

 Table 1. In each group the species are listed in the order of their 

 general adaptability for range use. More detailed information for 

 each species is given in the following pages, where brief discussions 

 are also given of a number of little-tried species, many of which have 

 shown promise for artificial reseeding and should be tried out 

 further wherever opportunity affords. 



CULTIVATED AND INTRODUCED CREEPING GRASSES 



Introduced and cultivated creeping grasses which have proved 

 fairly satisfactory under the more favorable growing conditions on 

 western mountain grazing lands include common bromegrass, Ken- 

 tucky bluegrass, Canada bluegrass, redtop, and quack grass. 



