GRASS CULTURE AND RANGE IMPROVEMENT 35 



tain valleys of New Mexico (i and Colorado, but in the drier parts of 

 the Plains they have responded poorly as far north as Akron, Colo. 

 They have been satisfactory, however, at Archer, Wyo., 100 miles 

 farther north (4-5). 



Because of the great interest in these grasses, resulting from their 

 success in the North, it is considered advisable to report some of 

 the results obtained at Hays, Kans., since 1901. Ten Eyck (67) in 

 1911 stated that bromegrass was a very hardy grass, resisting both 

 cold and drought, but required a moderate supply of moisture and 

 did not succeed well in a hot climate. 



Getty (26) reported in 1921 that none of the tame grasses had 

 proved entirely satisfactory in western Kansas. He concluded that 

 bromegrass was not worth sowing on land that was too dry for 

 alfalfa and was of doubtful value on any land in the western half 

 of Kansas. 



Attempts to establish bromegrass in dry -land rotations at Hays 

 have been made annually by the Division of Dry Land Agriculture 

 since 1906. The results of these attempts and of other work con- 

 ducted by the Division of Forage Crops and Diseases were sum- 

 marized by Getty (£7, pp. 53^5^) in 1928 : 



There is not much chance of sufficient growth to cut for hay after the third 

 year. An attempt to maintain a permanent stand of bromegrass around the 

 laboratory was eventually given up in favor of buffalo grass. 



Bromegrass is one of the earliest grasses to start growth in the spring, and 

 an established stand would furnish a few weeks of excellent early pasturage ; 

 this possibility, however, does not warrant attempts to grow the crop. While 

 bromegrass is fairly drought-resistant, it suffers too much from heat at Hays. 

 It has been grown by farmers with success farther northeast in Kansas, 

 notably in Washington County. 



Bromegrass was grown successfully in hills and cultivated nursery rows at 

 Hays, along with other miscellaneous grasses, for several years, but from an 

 economic standpoint it is a failure under field conditions. 



Although crested wheatgrass was tested less extensively than 

 bromegrass, results obtained at Hays from 1929 to 1934 indicate 

 that crested wheatgrass is similar to bromegrass in its susceptibility 

 to hot weather. Dillman (20) reported in 1931 that crested wheat- 

 grass had a higher water requirement than bromegrass. 



Aldous and Zahnley (^) report that the successful use of the tame 

 grasses was restricted to about the eastern one-third of Kansas where 

 the annual rainfall averages more than 30 inches. They state, how- 

 ever, that crested wheatgrass may have value in the northwestern 

 part of Kansas. Their report of the successful use of locally adapted 

 seed of bromegrass in Washington County, Kans., indicates the 

 possibility of further improvement in adaptability of the tame 

 grasses by careful selection. 



ITALIAN AND PERENNIAL RYEGRASS 



Italian and perennial ryegrass, not to be confused with Canada 

 or Virginia wild-rye, have proved to be extremely short-lived, rela- 

 tively unproductive, and poorly adapted to the drier parts of the 



8 Wilson, C. P. rroiie grass and alfalfa for pasture. N. Mex. Agr. Expt. Sta. 

 Press Bull. 835, 2 pp. 1937. [Mimeographed.] 



