GHA] UrTEAE 



withstands rather heavy grazing. It is not rhizonatous and it 

 does not grow in pure stands, so its effect on holding the soil 

 is not -very great* It may have a place in grass mixtures for 

 re-vegetation, purposes. Its range is Texas, Hew Mexico, Arizona 

 and Mexico. 



Panic urn obtusum, Vine Mesquite. The Forest Service has con- 

 ducted some experiments and made some observations in the field on 

 this species. Reference is made to their Leaflet No. 114. This 

 grass can be used through a wide range both of conditions and alti- 

 tudes. It is best adapted to swales and gullies in rather heavy 

 soil where erosion is likely to be heavy when a grass cover is not 

 present. Its long stolons spread rapidly and form, a good protective 

 cover, V.'hile this is rated as low in palatability, the upright 

 culms with the fruiting heads are quite greedily eaten and the hay 

 is highly prized in certain localities as feed for dairy cows. It 

 is highly probable that vie will be able to obtain seed of this in 

 the near future as a crop raised by the farmers. The grass can be 

 cut at seed ripening time, threshed arfd the straw either stacked or 

 baled for stock food. The natural range of this panic is Arizona, 

 Mexico and eastward to Texas and Iowa, 



Panic um texanum, Texas Millet, Seed was received from Texas 

 of this promising panic. The Clumps we have at Tucson do not seem 

 to root at the decumbent nodes, a characteristic of some strains of 

 this grass, while it is fond of damp ground it withstands some 

 drought. It often becomes a weed in waste fields, Akilc this 

 grass has been reported in our range it is rare in the extreme 

 southwest • It extends eastward through the southern states to South 

 Carolina and Georgia, 



Panicum r over choni , Reverchon Panic, This is another Texas 

 grass, while it does not make the growth of F. texanum, it is much 

 more drought resistant, growing on dry rocky and sandy land. It 

 forms dense clumps from rhizonatous bases end should, prove to be a 

 good erosion control plant. Plants at Tucson are growing nicely 

 though a poor stand was obtained from seed planted. It is confined 

 in natural distribution to dry rocky, sandy hills of Texas, 



Panicum yirgatum, Switch Grass, In many places in the East 

 this is doubtless a more important grass than in Region 8, With us 

 it Is found occasionally. It is often in snail clumps but some- 

 times is found in almost pure stands of an acre or so. In all 

 cases its extensive rhizomatous root system suggests its possibili- 

 ties as an erosion control plant. Ahile it prefers meadow lands 

 and oven wet ground, it Is frequently found on dry sandy slopes. 



