28 CIRCULAR 491, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



grasses to make much progress in replacing it on abandoned land, 

 and it is seldom crowded out entirely in pastures. Sand dropseed 

 serves as a prompt and effective stabilizer for denuded areas where 

 it provides a preparatory cover for slower reoccupancy by more de- 

 sirable species. It is considered of less value for grazing than the 

 short grasses but often produces more forage, especially during hot 

 weather. It grows on a wide range of soil types but thrives best 

 on sand. Recovery of range areas from the effects of drought and 

 other adverse conditions will not be complete until sand dropseed is 

 more fully replaced by other more desirable species. 



This grass usually produces an abundance of very small seeds, av- 

 eraging about 5 million per pound and is adapted to seeding with an 

 alfalfa drill or with the new planter-type grass drill equipped with 

 very small plate holes. The hard seeds respond to freezing tempera- 

 tures, aging, and scarification. Natural succession may be simulated 

 by seeding sand dropseed in pure stands, and following a year or 

 more later with blue grama or other species. It is believed best, how- 

 ever, where dropseed is used, to seed it at the same time the other 

 grasses are sown. Where seeds of the better grasses, such as blue 

 grama, are available, it is believed best to seed them in the. stabilizing 

 cover of noncompetitive Sudan grass stubble, rather than in competi- 

 tion with growing plants of sand dropseed. 



SAND GRASSES 



In addition to sand dropseed, side-oats, and hairy grama, the prin- 

 cipal perennial sand grasses are turkeyfoot (sand bluestem), prairie 

 beardgrass (little bluestem), sand lovegrass, Texas bluegrass, Canada 

 wild-rye, sand paspalum, switchgrass, Indian grass, giant reedgrass. 

 blowout grass, and vine-mesquite. 



The importance of these grasses is indicated by the necessity of 

 revegetating many sandy areas in the region. Chilcott (11) reported 

 that in the drier and sandier portions of the country much regrassing 

 was essential to control soil drifting and to make the best use of 

 land. He pointed out that the great value of a permanent crop, such 

 as grass, was to tie down part of the soil and to prevent movement 

 of the remainder from one field to another. 



TURKEYFOOT (SAND BLUESTEM) 



Turkeyfoot or sand bluestem is a very tall, vigorous, fairly palata- 

 ble sand grass, spreading by strong rootstocks. It is one of the 

 grasses legendarily described as growing "stirrup-top" high in the 

 early days. Plants of this species, selected at several locations in the 

 Plains, exhibit every conceivable variation in color, quantity, and 

 quality of growth. This species has been referred to as a sand ex- 

 pression of bluejoint turkeyfoot (big bluestem), which is primarily 

 adapted to heavy soils receiving more precipitation than commonly 

 occurs in the dry Plains. Lamson-Scribner (4-1) stated, in 1896. that 

 the agricultural value of sand bluestem was probably about the same 

 as that of big bluestem, and that it seeded freely and. the seeds were 

 easy to collect. 



PRAIRIE BEARDGRASS (LITTLE BLUESTEM) 



Prairie beardgrass or little bluestem, a medium-tall, vigorous-grow- 

 ing bunch grass, is well adapted to both sandy and heavy soils, but 



