SORGHUM EXPERIMEXTS OX THE GREAT PLAINS. 9 
The soil at Tucumcari, N. Mex., has not been studied by any one 
connected with the United States Bureau of Soils. It is a loose red- 
dish brown sandy loam, probably belonging to the Miles series or a 
soil type not yet defined, but poorer than the Miles. The soil at 
the station is friable and easily worked, but blows readily after the 
humus left by the native vegetation has been destroyed through 
cultivation. 
NATIVE VEGETATIONS 
Native vegetation furnishes a good index to climatic conditions and 
in a somewhat lesser degree to the soils of a section. Although gen- 
erally classed as a short-grass section, there are decided variations 
in the native vegetation of the southern Great Plains, as pointed out 
in the following discussion. 
The Hays, Kans., station is located in what may very properly be 
called the '"wire-grass phase 7 ' of a short-grass community. Blue 
grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and buffalo grass (Bulbil is dactyloides) 
furnish the soil cover and are the predominating grasses, but scattered 
rather thickly in this short-grass sod are bunches of wire-grass (Aris- 
tida longiseta) . 
Chillicothe is in a transition zone where the prairie and the plains 
types of vegetation intermingle. The prevailing soil cover is buffalo 
grass with frequent mesquite bushes (Prosopis juliflora) scattered 
through it. In the rough places along watercourses and in sandy 
lands, prairie grasses, such as big bluestem [Andropogon furcaius) and 
little bluestem (A. scoparius) are found. 
At the Amarillo, Tex., station is an almost pure short-grass asso- 
ciation, consisting very largely of blue grama and buffalo grass. 
As stated in the discussion of soils, the field station at Woodward, 
Okla., is on a sandy tract of limited extent on which the vegetation 
may perhaps be described as a shinnery community. The outstand- 
ing feature of this association is the scrub oak (Ouercus havardii). 
With this oak are the big and little bluestems and sand sage {Arte- 
misia jilifolia) . 
Lawton, Okla., like Chillicothe, Tex., is in the transition zone 
between the prairies and plains. The native A'egetation would per- 
haps be classified as a bunch-grass community, although it is made up 
of both bunch and short grasses. The big and little bluestems are 
associated here with buffalo grass and side-oats grama (Bouteloua 
curtipendula) . 
At Dalhart, Tex., the native vegetation is very much like that at 
Hays, Kans. The prevailing grasses are buffalo grass, blue and side- 
oats gramas, and wure-grass. In this fairly thick grass cover are 
scattered plants of Psoralea tenuiflora and Ipomoea leptophglla. Were 
the soil not rather sandy Dalhart, like Amarillo, would have a pure 
short-grass vegetation. 
The vegetation at Big Spring, Tex., is much like that at Chillicothe, 
but has somewhat more of the desert characteristics. Buffalo grass 
is associated with the mesquite bush and several species of Aristida. 
At Tucumcari, N. Mex., the native vegetation is difficult to classify 
because Tucumcari is on the dividing line between the desert and 
3 The writers are indebted to H. L. Shantz, Physiologist in charge of the Office of Plant Physiological and 
Fermentation Investigations of the Bureau of Plant Industry, for the facts on which the following brief 
outline of native vegetation is based. 
