METHODS OF REESTABLISHING BUFFALO GRASS 



19 



ROADSIDE IMPROVEMENT 



Buffalo grass may be used effectively along highways for protecting 

 and beautifying the embankments and other well-drained areas 

 between the roadbed and the fence. It will not grow satisfactorily 

 in the bottom of the barrow pit but will thrive on the sides if not dis- 

 turbed by repeated grading. The sides of the barrow pits should be 

 prepared for transplanting by grading at an angle of 45 degrees or 

 less to reduce erosion while the grass is becoming established. 



SUMMARY 



Native buffalo grass is the only grass adapted to the Great Plains 

 area that may be successfully used for pastures, athletic fields, 

 golf courses, lawns, and general landscaping purposes. It occurs in 

 varying degrees of abundance from southeastern Montana and south- 



Figure 11.— Four-inch cubes of buffalo-grass sod set 3 feet apart on badly eroded land, July 1932. Photo- 

 graphed in December 1933. 



western North Dakota to south-central Texas and from the foothills 

 of the Rocky Mountains to the ninety-seventh degree of longitude on 

 the Great Plains. 



From 20 to 50 years are required for buffalo grass to become rees- 

 tablished naturally on abandoned farm land. It is not practical to 

 establish it by seeding, because seed is difficult and expensive to 

 collect and of low yield and germination. 



Buffalo grass may be propagated by setting out the runners or 

 stolons in moist soil, but this method is not successful on strictly dry 

 land. The most practical method where watering is not possible is 

 to set small pieces of sod in well-prepared soil at intervals of 3 to 4 

 feet. Solid spacing of sods is practical only for very small areas, such 

 as lawns, where the chief consideration is immediate results. 



