10 THE AGRICULTURAL GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



and valuable species of the two. It is rather too liard a grass for sheep, 

 but there is uo more valuable grass on the ' summer ranges' for cattle 

 and horses. It makes excellent hay for horses, and is cut in large quan- 

 tities for this puri)0se. It grows in large tussocks, making it rather 

 a difficult grass to mow with a machine. Festuca ovina, car. jjrevails in 

 the mountain regions on a line of altitude just beloAv Festuca scabrella, 

 growing in close bunches, and yields a large amount of forage for all 

 kinds of stock. 



Agropyrum glaucum, 'blue-joint' and 'blue-stem,' is the most 

 highly praised of the native grasses for hay. Wherever this grass oc- 

 cupies exclusively any large area of ground, as it frequently does in the 

 lower districts, especially near Fort Benton, it is cut for hay. Natur- 

 ally, it does not yield a great bulk, but its quality is unsurpassed. It 

 has a tough, creeping root, like the ' couch grass' of the Eastern States, 

 and by some is regarded as a variety of it. After two or three cuttings 

 the yield of hay diminishes so much that it is scarcely worth the harvest- 

 ing. An effectual way to increase the stand of grass after a succession 

 of cuttings, as proved by actual experiment, is to drag over the sod a 

 short-toothed harrow, which breaks up the roots or underground stems, 

 and each fragment of root then makes a new plant. 



Rordeum jubatum, or 'fox- tail grass,' is common on the low lands, 

 especially where there is moisture. It is looked upon as one of the 

 worst of weeds. Its presence with other grasses destroys their value 

 entirely for hay. 



" Elymus condensattis, or ' wild-rye grass,' is the only species that is 

 known popularly. It grows along the streams and rivers, often covering 

 extensive areas. It is valued chiefly as a winter forage grass. It yields 

 a great bulli of coarse hay, but is rarely harvested. When growing in 

 fields of 'blue-joint' the blue-joint is cut and the rye grass is left stand- 

 ing. If cut before flowering it makes a good hay, but if left until it 

 comes into flower, it is not only too hard for hay, but is too hard to 

 cut, except with a bush-scythe." 



In connection with this subject the question arises, what effect will 

 continued pasturage have upon the perpetuity of the grasses composing 

 these great pasture-fields ? Probably in the course of time certain spe- 

 cies will disappear, being unable to withstand the constant tramping 

 and cropping by cattle and sheep, and it will be necessary to fill their 

 place with more hardy species. If this is not done by self-propagation 

 it will then become necessary for the proprietors of the land to make 

 selection from the native species which prove hardy, or to seek out suit- 

 able species from other countries. It can hardly be doubted that among 

 our very many native species there are those which will meet the re- 

 quirements of the occasion, but much careful observation and many 

 trials and experiments will need to be made before the question is satis- 

 factorily determined. To an intelligent performance of this work a 

 knowledge is first required of the characteristics, habits, and names of 



