50 FOEAGE CONDITIONS ON NOETHEEN BOEDEE OF GEE AT BASIN. 



Hall's redtop (Agrostis hallii). — An erect grass, resembling closely the common 

 redtop, but with a more open and delicate panicle. It is a valuable hay grass in the 

 Alvord Desert region, especially on the White Horse and Divine ranches. In some 

 meadows on the former it replaces to a very large extent the common species of red- 

 top, and forms, in limited areas, a fourth of the crop of hay, the remainder being 

 made up of seaside clover and several sedges. 



Wild oats (Arena fatua) . — This grass, which is such a pest in many small grain- 

 growing regions, has been mentioned under weeds. Several fields of first and second 

 crop alfalfa were seen in which this formed a third to a fourth of the forage. One or 

 two years of alfalfa cropping will usually rid the land of it, however. 



Slough grass (Beckmannia erucaeformis) . — A common species all through the 

 region, but never abundant enough to be of any importance as a hay plant, as it is 

 oftentimes in western Montana, especially in the Flat Head Valley. Here it forms 

 simply a scattering growth in moist places along ditches and streams, and is of value 

 only as a pasture grass. 



Keeled brome (Bromus carinatus). — A stout, erect, tufted, perennial grass, abun- 

 dant in all the mountain regions. It usually grows in steep, rocky places with bunch 

 wheat grass, Buckley's blue grass, and sheep fescue, and forms large quantities of 

 feed in such localities. It is especially abundant in Steins Mountains on the side of 

 Teger and Blitzen gorges. 



Short awxed brome (Bromus marginatus). — This species, although extending into 

 the mountains, makes its best growth in partially cultivated ground on the lower 

 levels. At Big Creek and about 10 miles south of Burns there were exceptionally 

 fine growths of it in many fields. It is the most promising of the native species of 

 this genus for cultivation. 



Hairy brome (Bromus mbvelutinus Xo. 617). — This strikingly hairy species was 

 found in only one locality, but there it formed about a sixth of the entire pasture 

 growth, the remainder being Buckley's blue grass and bunch wheat grass. The 

 locality was a southern, rocky exposure in Steins Mountains, about one-half mile 

 below the gorge on the Blitzen. 



Introduced species of bromes. — Four species not native to this country are intro- 

 duced in this region in considerable quantity. In limited localities these vie in 

 importance with the native grasses, and wherever found they are valuable forage 

 either as hay or pasture. Usually, however, they assume the character of weeds. 

 The most common of these forms is, of course, the common cheat (Bromus secaMnus). 

 The appearance of threespecies of this genus along Bartlett Creek in northern Nevada 

 was very interesting. There had been some prospecting in the valley and seeds of 

 Bromus rubens, Bromus hordeaceous, and cheat (Bromus secalinuz) had evidently been 

 introduced with feed from California points. These species had literally taken pos- 

 session in some portions of the valley. Being annual species, however, they dry up 

 early in the summer and are then not relished by stock. 



Yellow fox tail (ChsetocMoa glauca) and Green fox tail (Chxtoclxloa viridis). — 

 Are sparingly introduced. Nowhere did we see them thriving with any degree of 

 vigor. 



Blue joixt (Calamagrosti* canad-ensis acuminata). — Occasional on low, moist mead- 

 i >ws. It is never very abundant, but makes good feed wherever found. 



Yellow top (Calamagrostis hyperborea americaua). — A very important, erect, rather 

 wiry grass. Yellow top grows well on low, moist meadows. The best growth of it 

 the writer has ever seen was on the Malheur Lake bottoms, where there were areas 

 of an acre or more in places almost pure. It was always found along the edges of 

 the lower bottoms and, according to soil tests, in nonalkaline soil. A large quantity 

 of seed was secured from the Island Ranch, south of Burns, Oreg. 



Tufted hair grass (Deschampsia caspitosa). — This is an important forage in the 

 moister localities in all the mountain ranges. It stands close pasturing very well, 



