IMPORTANT RANGE PLANTS. 15 
results in nearly every case, one germination test, the highest of all, 
giving 98.5 per cent. 
Among stockmen there is much diversity of opinion as to the forage 
value of pine grass. While it may not be included in the category 
of choice forage plants, except in the spring when it is young and 
tender, yet it plays a valuable part on the range. In the spring of the 
year the leaf blades are eaten with nearly as great relish as any of the 
native grasses, and judging from the condition of the stock feeding 
upon it, the species has high nutritive qualities. From early spring 
to about the middle of July, on the lower ranges, all classes of stock 
graze it closely and with considerable relish. In the latter part of 
July, however, the tissues of the leaf blades become fibrous and 
tough, the plant is not grazed with relish, and is then considered to 
have a much lower nutritive value. In the fall of the year, after the 
rains have started, it is again grazed to a limited extent, since the leaf 
blades are somewhat softened by the precipitation. 
Bluejoint. 
(Calamagrostis canadensis.) 
Bluejoint or marsh pine grass, because it is less abundant and less 
important than pine grass, is not so well known to stockmen as the 
latter. ^Though its distribution is about the same, it does not inhabit 
pine forests, but grows in marshes and swales and along moist stream 
banks. The local name is derived from its resemblance to typical 
pine grass, to which it is closely related. 
The two species may readily be distinguished by the panicle (com- 
pare Plates X and XI), which in pine grass is dense or contracted 
and pale green, while in bluejoint it is very loose and open and tinged 
with brown or pale purple. The latter does not have the character- 
istic ring of stiff hairs at the junction of the sheath and blade. The 
culms of marsh pine grass are erect, from 1| to 3 feet high; the leaves, 
smooth, long, wide, and distinctly flat. It has rather shallow, lateral 
roots. Reproduction by root stocks is prolific, and dense stands are 
common in favorable situations. 
The wide, flat leaves, shallow roots, and the situations in which 
marsh pine grass grows indicate its inability to withstand drought. 
The soil in which it occurs is well supplied with moisture, but is not 
especially rich in organic matter. In some of the tests the plants 
did not succumb until the water was reduced to nearly 11 per cent. 
In the case of two tests the specimens recuperated from the wilted 
condition when the soil contained an average of 14 per cent of 
moisture. 
The flower stalks begin to appear about June 25, and by July 20 
are nearly all sent up. Mature seed can usually be found by August 
