26 CIRCULAR 491, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



with a combine, and limited amounts have been on the market for 

 several years. Cleaned seed passes readily through a common grain 

 drill and germinates promptly. The young plants often succumb to 

 hot weather and drought before they become well established, which 

 emphasizes the desirability of seeding early in the spring or fall. 

 Newly harvested seed often germinates less than seed that has under- 

 gone several weeks of after-ripening. Successive weekly germination 

 tests at Woodward in 1938 revealed that the seed gradually increased 

 in viability from a trace at harvesttime in August to 50 percent on 

 October 1. 



For best results sources of locally adapted seed of this species 

 should be established for use in the southern Plains. Preliminary 

 results indicate that northern strains produce less forage, spread 

 slower, and are less capable of withstanding intense heat, combined 

 with drought in southern districts. The grass prefers heavy soil 

 but has been observed in considerable quantities on sand near Akron, 

 Colo., North Platte, Nebr., and Woodward, Okla. 



BLACK GRAMA 



Black or woolly-foot grama occurs in the western parts of the 

 southern Great Plains and is one of the principal pasture grasses 

 of the southwestern semidesert region where it is favorably regarded 

 for drought resistance, palat ability, and general grazing value 

 throughout the year. It is more resistant to drought than blue grama 

 and spreads both by seed and surface runners or decumbent stems, 

 but is less palatable and the seeds are usually much weaker in germi- 

 nation. Preliminary trials indicate that this species may have a 

 place in revegetation work in the drier parts of the Plains. Cassady 

 (9) suggests transplanting this grass to thicken stands on depleted 

 ranges in the Southwest. The Forest Service and the New Mexico 

 Agricultural Experiment Station have intensively studied the range 

 value of this grass on the Jornada Experimental Range in southern 

 New Mexico, as reported by Nelson (4?)- The chemical composi- 

 tion of this and other range plants of New T Mexico was reported 

 by Watkins (69), who found that black grama is comparatively high 

 in vitamin A, and only slightly less palatable than blue grama or 

 buffalo grass. 



SIDE-OATS GRAMA 



Side-oats or tall grama is highly palatable and nutritious, espe- 

 cially during the growung season, but it is less valuable in these re- 

 spects than blue grama and is not rated so highly in the winter-cured 

 condition. It usually produces more and earlier forage than blue 

 grama, but is less resistant to drought and grazing, and requires more 

 moisture for maximum development. Side-oats grama spreads slowly 

 by short rhizomes, is an important constituent of pastures and hay 

 meadows on sandy soils, and is worthy of consideration in grass 

 mixtures. The stems are rather tall and produce an abundance of 

 seed which is harvested with ordinary farm machinery but is com- 

 paratively low in germination (fig. 14). The Forest Service (68) 

 states that because of its size, vigorous growth, adaptability to vary- 

 ing growth conditions, and economic value, it appears to be the most 

 promising grama for domestication. 



