IMPORTANT RANGE PLANTS. 31 
below the average. In the drought tests the individual plants wilted 
excessively in soil varying in moisture from 6 to 8.5 per cent. 
The flower stalks of white foxtail are among the earliest to appear, 
and are practically all produced by August 1. Matured seeds are 
found as early as August 15, and are practically all ripened by the 
end of the first week in September. Unlike most species, the seeds 
are not disseminated immediately upon reaching maturity, but per- 
sist for some time unless they are brushed off by direct contact or 
shaken off by some vigorous mechanical means. Wind is ineffective 
in bringing about a wide distribution of the seed, but stock, especially 
sheep, when they come in contact with matured plants, distribute the 
seed crop broadcast, the awns attaching themselves to the wool. 
Germination tests as well as observations on the reproduction of 
tins plant on the range indicate a high viability. In 1907 and the 
two succeeding seasons an average of 43, 77, and 82.5 per cent of 
the seed germinated under controlled conditions. The best repro- 
duction is taking place on sparsely vegetated soils where the seed are 
worked well beneath the surface and where competition with other 
species is not severe. 
The forage value of white foxtail is always low. In the spring, 
shortly after growth has started, the leaf blades are eaten by stock 
of all kinds, but this period is so short as to be negligible. Even 
before the majority of the flower stalks are produced the herbage 
becomes tough and harsh, and stockmen claim that the mouths of 
sheep become sore and tender if they graze it to any extent. As 
soon as the seeds begin to ripen white foxtail is almost wholly dis- 
regarded. If stock should consume any quantity, however, the awns 
may cause sore mouths and big throats, and the barbs even get into 
the eyes. Thus the plant is practically worthless, and the range 
would be better off by its absence. 
GRASSLIKE PLANTS. 
Distinctions Between Grasslike Plants and Grasses. 
Stockmen, as a rule, do not distinguish between true grasses and 
grasslike plants such as sedges and rushes. The latter, because of 
their frequent occurrence in marshes, swales, along creek banks, and 
in other moist situations, are commonly referred to as " water grass," 
"wire grass," "swamp grass," etc., but the three distinct groups of 
grasses, sedges, and rushes are almost invariably spoken of collec- 
tively as "grasses." 
Sedges, Carex, may readily be distinguished from grasses in the 
following simple ways: 
1. The stems of sedges are triangular, jointless and solid, the 
leaves 3-ranked, and the leaf sheaths closed. 
