GRASS CULTURE AND RANGE IMPROVEMENT 31 



CANADA WILD-RYE 



Canada wild-rye is similar in many respects to blue stem (western 

 wheat-grass), except that it is a tufted species and depends entirely on 

 seeds for propagation and spread. It provides early spring and late 

 fall pasturage. The plants mature early and remain dormant during 

 the summer, the dry steins being of little value for forage at that time. 

 This appears to be an excellent grass to include in mixture with 

 other grasses to make a better balance of pasturage throughout the 

 season, as it provides rich palatable green forage in earlv spring and 

 late fall. 



SAND PASPALUM 



Sand paspalum is an exceedingly palatable, soft-leaved bunch 

 grass of wide occurrence on sandy soils, where close grazing has 

 not wholly eliminated it. The plants are most abundant in pastures 

 grazed only in the winter or in the protection of sagebrush on con- 

 tinuously grazed areas. The seeds are produced in fair quantity 

 on rather long steins that spread out fairly close to the ground mak- 

 ing them somewhat difficult to harvest, especially since the seeds 

 shatter readily. Removal of the seed hulls by scarification at Wood- 

 ward has resulted in increased germination. 



Figure 16. — Two strains of Texas bluegrass at Woodward, Okla. ; short form in 

 foreground, tall form in rear. 



SWITCHGRASS 



Switchgrass is a tall, vigorous, broad-leaved, meadow grass with 

 spreading panicles. It produces a considerable quantity of seed 

 closely resembling millet when threshed. The tall form of this 

 species thrives best on low, fairly moist, sandy bottoms, but the short 

 form is distributed sparingly throughout higher pastures. In the 

 early stages of growth it is palatable to all classes of livestock and 

 makes hay of good quality when cut before the plants are fully 



