WEEDS. 39 



extent is not at all surprising. No attempt is made to give a complete 

 weed list for the region, but, on the contrary, only those are enumer- 

 ated which interfere with the growth of forage crops. Even some of 

 these are valuable forage plants in themselves, but they are listed here 

 because of their persistency or their frequent occurrence in ground 

 sown to other forage crops or in localities which, were it not for their 

 presence, would yield more valuable feed. 



The number of plants recorded in this connection might be greatly 

 extended by accepting a more liberal interpretation of the meaning of 

 weed and by an enumeration of the less harmful ones. Such plants 

 as wire grass (Juncus halticus), which produces a very poor quality of 

 hay, mint {Mentha canadensis), and heliotrope (Heliotropium curas- 

 savicum) grow in great profusion, but they develop only in places and 

 under circumstances where nothing else will grow. They therefore 

 serve the useful purpose of furnishing a soil cover after the flood 

 water disappears, and some of them even furnish a poor quality of 

 feed. The plants which interfere in native meadows are few compared 

 with those which are troublesome in alfalfa meadows. Here under 

 the stimulus of too superficial cultivation they receive a great impetus, 

 and, under unfavorable conditions for the development of the culti- 

 vated crop the}^ interfere with its growth and very materially reduce 

 the value of the hay and the pasture. 



Death weed (Iva axillaris). — This is undoubtedly one of the most persistent 

 weeds in northern Nevada and southern Oregon. It grows very profusely in low 

 alkaline meadows and pastures. In many places where pasturing has been carried 

 to excess it forms a complete covering for the ground, and often, as was the case on 

 large areas in the Quinn River Valley, no other plants grew with it. It is also at 

 times a very bad weed in cultivated lands, and in such cases interferes very materi- 

 ally with the crop. Its habit of propagation by creeping rootstocks renders it a 

 very difficult plant to eradicate. With thorough cultivation, however, no serious 

 apprehension need be had concerning it, as in ground thoroughly plow T ed and cultivated 

 each year it soon disappears. It gives the greatest amount of trouble in land which 

 is only partially subdued, such as the lower sage-brush areas. In this region of 

 scanty rainfall, where alfalfa is about the only cultivated crop raised, and where it 

 is by far the best paying crop, the rancher is liable not to thoroughly prepare the 

 ground for its reception. Very often a sage-brush area is cleared up and sown to 

 alfalfa with no other crop preceding it. In such cases, as will readily be seen, the 

 ground is not thoroughly prepared, and this weed as well as many others will persist 

 in the soil to the detriment of the crop for several years. 



Sunflower (Helianthus annuus). — This widely distributed weed frequently inter- 

 feres very materially with the development of the forage crops, especially in the 

 newly broken bottom lands or rebroken pastures and meadows. Its development 

 was especially abundant on the ranch of J. S. Divine, also in certain localities on the 

 Malheur Lake bottoms. On Mr. Divine's ranch it, together with the horsetail 

 spoken of below, formed about one-third of the crop of grain hay. 



Horsetail (Equisetum robustum). — This is often pointed out as a vile weed, but it 

 seldom does much damage where land is properly treated. In localities where it 

 was noticed this year the land had been overirrigated and poorly cultivated. 



Blue flag (Iris missouriensis) . — Large areas of this are found in the mountain 



