30 



BREEDING DROUGHT-RESISTANT FORAGE PLANTS. 



WESTERN WHEAT-GRASS. 



Western wheat-grass, botanically known as Agropyron smithii (A. 

 occidentale) , is native over a large part of the northern Great Plains and 

 is valued highly as a pasture and hay grass. It is especially common 

 on the " gumbo " soils in western South Dakota. Along the river and 

 creek bottoms, where subject to annual overflow, it forms a dense, 

 vigorous growth and is the most valuable native hay grass of the 

 region. In such places it forms a pure growth unmixed with other 

 grasses. On the dry ranges it forms a considerable part of the native 

 forage and is remarkably drought resistant. The growth on the 

 ranges, however, is scattered and thin. In depressed areas where 

 drainage is poor or which receive the drainage from higher areas 

 the wheat-grass occurs to the exclusion of other native grasses. 

 This is doubtless due partly to its great alkali resistance and partly to 

 its ability to endure rather long periods of flooding. The alkali con- 

 tent of the soil in these areas ranges as high as 0.4 to 0.6 of 1 per cent. 



Wheat-grass hay is locally in great demand in South Dakota. It 

 is especially valuable for feeding to livery and other horses doing hard 

 work. For this purpose it sells for $4 to $5 more per ton than alfalfa 

 and mixed hay at Bellefourche, Deadwood, and other places in the 

 Black Hills. 



Chemical analyses indicate that it is especially rich in crude protein 

 and ether extracts. The following analyses of some common native 

 and cultivated forage plants of South Dakota are here given for pur- 

 poses of comparison: 



Table IX. — Chemical analyses of some common native and cultivated forage plants of 



South Dakota. 



Name of forage plant. 



Name 



of 

 analyst. 



Ash. 



Ether i Crude 

 extract. | fiber. 



Crude 

 protein. 



Nitro- 

 gen-free 

 extract. 



Western wheat-grass (Agropyron 

 occidentale). 



Slender wheat-grass (Agropyron 

 tenerum). 



Smooth brome-grass (Bromus iner- 

 mis). 



Buffalo-grass (Bulbilis dactyloides) . . . 



Blue grama (Bouteloua oligostachya) . . 

 Timothy (Phleum prntense) 



Sheparda 



Knight and 



Kepner.b 

 Sheparda 



do. a ..:.. 



Knight and 



Kepner.6 



Shepard a 



Knight and 



Kepner.6 

 Sheparda 



do.a 



Per cent. 



8.52 

 5.03 



5.74 



8.08 

 6.21 



11.19 

 11.60 



8.69 

 7.39 



Per cent. 



2.91 

 3.07 



2.77 



2.06 

 2.71 



2.42 



2.18 

 3.58 



Per cent. 



34.90 

 36.70 



32.44 



41.27 

 29.50 



2S.74 

 26.81 



31.40 

 34.39 



Per cent. 



9.80 

 9.23 



8.90 



10.79 

 9.47 



5.60 

 8.34 



9.11 

 8.84 



Per cent. 



43.88 

 45.97 



50.15 



37.80 

 52.11 



52. 02 

 50.83 



45.: 



a Shepard, J. H. Bulletin 40, South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, 1894. 



b Knight, H. G., and Kepner, F. E. Bulletin 76, Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station, 1908. 



It will be noted that in the percentage of fats (ether extracts) 

 western wheat-grass is very high, being excelled only by timothy. 

 It is also high in amount of crude protein, but is excelled in this by 



196 



