LESS IMPORTANT GRASSES AND LEGUMES. 39 



tested at the Nebraska Station, but the above remarks concerning the 

 seed habits apply nearly as well to this species. 



Indian grass (Andropogon nutans). — A tall grass growing in the 

 Eastern States and westward nearly to the mountains. It forms an 

 important constituent of all the wild hay of the prairie regions except 

 toward the north. It is of especial value on account of its numerous 

 root leaves. The plot of this grass tested gave finally a luxuriant 

 growth of foliage, although it was injured somewhat by the drought 

 of 1901. The poor seed habits of this grass stand in the way of its 

 cultivation. The seed is usually not very abundant and is often of low 

 vitality. 



Tall oat-grass {ArrhenatJierum elatius). — One of the European 

 meadow grasses which has been grown on a small scale in this country 

 for many years. As it is a bunch grass and does not form a close sod 

 it should not be used alone, but doubtless it will be a valuable addition 

 to a mixture such as orchard grass and meadow fescue. It is fairly 

 drought resistant, and has the quality of producing a comparatively 

 rank growth the first season, for which reason it has found favor as a 

 winter pasture grass in the South. In general, however, it seems to 

 be better adapted to meadows than to pastures. The station plots 

 gave a good growth of forage which produced excellent hay. One 

 plot, one-fifth acre in size, sown in 1901 and resown in 1902, produced 

 on June 23, 110 pounds of hay, or at the rate of 2,050 pounds to the 

 acre. After the cutting a fine aftermath was formed. In 1903 the 

 same plot yielded (June 16) only 310 pounds, or at the rate of 1,550 

 pounds to the acre, bearing out the experience elsewhere that a 

 meadow of tall oat-grass reaches its maximum development early and 

 then deteriorates. 



Blue -grama (Bouteloiia oligostachya). — Blue grama is one of the 

 important constituents of upland grazing regions of the Great Plains 

 and is often called buffalo grass, but it should be distinguished from 

 the true buffalo grass with which it is usually associated. Blue grama 

 does not produce so large a quantit} T of seed and the seed is not so 

 easily gathered or handled as side-oats grama, but ranchmen state that 

 it is superior to this grass in nutritive qualities and palatability, and 

 furthermore that it forms a thick sod, while the other does not. The 

 growth is short, usually about a foot high, and hence this grass is not 

 adapted for hay except under favorable conditions, though for pasture 

 it is exceedingly valuable. Seed was sown on one plot in 1898 and on 

 a second plot in 1900. The grass was slow to start from seed and the 

 growth in the spring was slow even when the plot was established, 

 but the stand thickened up well, and during the dry season of 1901 it 

 was the only grass besides side-oats grama that gave sufficient growth 

 for pasture during the period of extreme drought. 



