S B Bulletin No. 10. Agros. 27. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. DIVISION OF AGROSTOLOGY. [drnf^N uikI Voi-aig^c Plant Iiir<-Ntii;ntioiiM.] A REPORT n-civ iiiK GRASSES AND FORAGE PLANTS CENTEAT. TEXAS. IT. T^. BKiSTTLEY, S2}ecinl .ttji-nf hi Chari/e of drasi h'jpirimeiils at Ahilene, Tex. PREI'AKEll VNDEU TMK lUIiECTIoX Ol' TUK AGEOSTOLOGIST. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1898. Book Z ?^^^ Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in 2010 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/reportupongrasseOObent /i?^2- Bulletin No. 10. Agros. 27. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. DIVISION OF AGROSTOLOGY. [Orass ami Forage JPIant TiiveMtigationN.] A REPORT UPON THE Duplicate. GRASSES AND FORAGE PLANTS CENTRAL TEXAS. BY n/l3^ BENTLEIY, o Special Agent in Charge of Gt-ass Experiments at Abilene, Tex. PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE AGROSTOLOGIST. WASHINGTON: GOVERNlilENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1898. ..V ^' ^'>^^ ■:i> By transfer ..A;^ 81 1908 k LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL IT. S. Department of Agrioultuee, Division of Agrostology, Washington, D. C, March 3, 1898. Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith for publication, as Bul- letin No. 10 of this division, a report by Mr. H. L. Bentley, special agent in the Division, upon the grasses and forage plants of central Texas. This report contains brief accounts of the physical character of central Texas; the early and present condition of the ranges; and popular descriptions, and general observations upon the distribution and economic importance of a large number of the grasses and forage plants native to the region. From this report stockmen and others will gain some idea of the extent and value of the natural forage resources of the country, and it will, without doubt, awaken an interest in the preservation and improvement of the forage supplies. Eespectfully, F. Lamson-Scribner, Agrostologist. Hon. James Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture. 3 CONTENTS. Page. The cattle ranges and tlieir deterioration 7 Purpose of report - 7 Physical character of the country 7 Early condition of the ranges 8 Speculation and overstocking 9 HoV the stock ranges may be renewed 10 Need of hay and other forage 10 Native grasses and forage plants recommended for i^ropagation 11 Grasses 11 Forage plants not grasses 20 Grasses and forage plants of prohable value •- 25 Common grasses of little forage value 28 5 Illustrations. Fig. 1. Feather Blue-stem {Andropogon saccliaroides torreyanus) 12 2. Bine Grama (Bouteloua oligostachya) 13 3. Everlasting Grass (Eriochloa punctata) 14 4. Curly Mesquite (HiJaria cencliroides) 15 5. Barnyard Grass {Panicum crus-galli) 17 6. Colorado Grass {Panicum texanum) 18 7. "Wild Bean {Phaseolus helrolus) 22 8. Buffalo Grass (Bunilis dactyloides) 24 9. Knot Grass {Paspalum distichum) 27 10. Tumble Weed {Amaranthus blitoides) 30 11. Ground Plum {Astragalus crassicarpus) 31 12. Alfilaria {Erbdium cieutanum) 33 13. Prickly Pear ( Opuntia engdmanni) 35 14. Mesquite Beau {Prosopis juliflora) 36 A REPORT UPON THE GRASSES AND FORAGE PLANTS OF CENTRAL TEXAS. THE CATTLE RANGES AND THEIR DETERIORATION. PURPOSE OP REPORT. The purpose of this report is to iuvite the attention of stockmen and farmers to the mistakes made iu the past in dealing with native grasses and forage plants, and to offer suggestions for their future guidance. Central Texas may he considered a typical stock section. The problems here j)resented are identical with those of other regions where overstocking and insufficient care of the natural growth of grasses and forage plants have led to the impoverishment of the ranges. The natural herbage of the Southwestern plains and prairies was once as varied and as rich as could be found anywhere. The wild grasses could not be excelled either for hay or pasturage. They are still to be found scattered over the region, not in as great profu- sion and abundance as in the days when the cattlemen first drove their herds into that magnificent pasture, but enough of them are there to make it possible by intelligent management to produce something like the former conditions. PHYSICAL CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY. The central Texas of this report includes all the counties of Stone- wall, Haskell, Throckmorton, Fisher, Jones, Shackelford, Nolan, Tay- lor, Callahan, Runnels, Coleman, Tom Grreen, Concho, McCulloch, and parts of the counties of Kent, Scurry, Mitchell, Coke, San Saba, Brown, Eastland, Stephens, and Young. It embraces a territory about 100 miles wide, east and west, and about 200 miles long, north and south. The characteristics common to these counties are : An open prairie country with some black-jack, post-oak, and live-oak timber on the uplands and ridges; a scattering growth of mesquite on the lands away from the streams, which, together with the timber on the streams, sup- plies ample firewood and posts for fencing purposes ; numerous streams that furnish an abundance of water, fringed along their banks with groves of pecan, elm, hackberry, wild china, cottonwood, and other trees; an altitude ranging from 1,500 to 1,900 feet above sea level; an annual rainfall of from 20 to 34 inches, the average being about 27 7 inches, so distributed through the year that it means sufficient for range puri)oses, but periodically not sufficient for the best results in fanning; a range of temperature from 90° to 102° down to 7° F. ; a rich alluvial soil in most of the valleys, while on the uplands there are loams, gen- erally containing a large admixture of calcareous marls. The soils vary in color from a light gray or yellow, through all the intermediate colors — chocolate, mulatto, red, and brown — to black, all productive and susceptible of high cultivation, and especially rich in the elements necessary for the i^roduction of the cereals and grasses. There is a great variety of native forage plants and grasses, comj^rising species that appear in succession from February to November. In Stonewall, Nolan, Mitchell, McCulloch, Coke, San Saba, and Taylor counties the topography presents a greater diversity than in the others. In Taylor County there are considerable elevations, a mountain range extending through it from southeast to northwest, the highest point being 519 feet above the surrounding plains. In Throck- morton, Stephens, Shackelford, Callahan, Eunnels, Coleman, and Tom Green counties there are broken areas. In the other ten counties, where there are neither mountains nor hills, the general surface is gently undulating. Under the direction of the Agrostologist of the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture, portions of this section were visited by the writer during August, September, and October (1897), and collections of grasses made, notes being taken relative to the forage plants, native and domesticated, that have given promise of future value. These observations, owing to the limited time in which they were made, do not cover all the counties named, but it is probable that nearly every grass noted may be found in each of the counties, and the statements regarding them will doubtless apply to the entire region. EARLY CONDITION OF THE RANGES. The natural meadows of this section when the first cattlemen took possession were excellent. It was an ideal pasture land. The streams were full the year round, and the absence of heavy dews or long-con- tinued wet spells in autumn caused the abundant growth of grasses to ripen and cure on their own roots into hay of the best quality, available through all the winter months. There was shelter from storms in the timber along the streams. The prairie dogs and jack rabbits were kept in check by their natural enemies. The rapid spread of weedy shrubs and cactus was prevented by the annual tires that swept the country. No attempt at systematic settlement was made until the building of the Texas and Pacific Railroad in 1883, Before that time there was no one to assert any special claim to any particular lands. True, nearly all belonged to private individuals, railroad companies, counties, or to some of the State trust funds, but none of the legal owners were 9 on the ground in person. There was nothing to prevent the cowmen from appropriating the range, arbitrarily laying off their range bound- aries, and claimiug them under their so called "range rights." The first cowman who entered a given section established his headquarters in some favored spot and claimed, under his range rights, everything in sight. When the next cowman moved in, the two together divided the range and each kept his herd on his own side of the boundary line agreed upon between them. As others came, the range was further subdivided until it was all fully occupied. Absolute good faith was maintained, each recognizing the range rights of the other. There was no need for one to crowd the other, for there was xslenty, and to spare, for all. They each and all recognized that with "free grass" the road to wealth was an easy and certain one. SPECULATION AND OVERSTOCKING. With the entrance of the railroad into this pastoral region the owners of the lands under consideration, or their agents, began to appear with a view to looking up their properties. Then it was that the cow- miBn began to realize that they could not longer depend on free grass. The result was natural, indeed inevitable. Every man was seized with a desire to make the most of his opportunities wliile they lasted. Whereas there had i^reviously been no rent to pay and only a minimum of taxes, each one saw that this situation could not last. In consequence every man who had a "range right" went into the market to buy cows to eat as much of the grass as possible before he should be dispos- sessed of his free holding. Soon there were more buyers than sellers. Prices went up and a fever of speculation ensued. Eange rights, herds of cattle, and flocks of shee]) changed hands at fabulous prices. Men of every rank were eager to go into the "cow business." In a short time every acre of free grass was stocked beyond its fullest capacity. Thousands of cattle or sheep were crowded on the ranges where half the number was too many. The grasses were entirely consumed; their very roots were trampled into dust and destroyed. In their eagerness to get something for nothing speculators did not hesitate at the i^erma- nent injury, if not total ruin, of the finest grazing country in America. From that day to the present but little intelligent effort has been made to improve the pastures and again cover them with the rich vege- tation which the soil is capable of supporting. It is not yet too late to remedy the evil, but no time is to be lost. There is need in the first place of the enactment of more beneficent lease laws to govern the use of county and State lands. Permanency of tenure is essential, for it is only through such a condition that stockmen can be made to see that it is to their own interest to improve the carrying capacity of the range. There must be intelligent and concerted effort, and it can not be expected that stockmen will be different from other men if they decline to make such effort at range improvement when the results of their toil and 10 forethought are to be enjoyed by others. They are all alike, grass destroyers, so long as it is not to their own immediate interest to be grass preservers. Stockmen have been reckless in this direction, farmers have been their allies. The latter still wage a war of extermination on the grasses growing in and about their fields. In his eftbrt to make room for more cheap cotton the farmer ruthlessly breaks the sod that if properly treated and cared for as pasture would yield him far better returns. HOW THE STOCK RANGES MAY BE RENEWED. In considering the question of how the ranges may be renewed, the ideas and opinions of the leading stockmen of this section have been solicited. They vary from that of giving the grasses absolute rest until the ground has been reseeded with the best native varieties, to that of partially breaking the sod and seeding down the land to sor- ghum, Johnson grass, or the best of the tame hay grasses. If the natural j)astures are to be once more brought up to their origi- nal condition certain iDrecautions must be taken. There must be no more overstocking of the range. On the contrary, as far as practicable, the land must be systematically rested. Some of the leading stockmen are now dividing up their holdings into several pastures, one being held exclusively for winter use, another for spring, another for midsummer or autumn. This practice will, in the case of the winter pasture, enable the early grasses to ripen and shed their seeds. To be successful there should be rotation in the seasonal use of these pastures. Thus a pas- ture which is grazed closely during winter for three or four successive years should then be grazed only in summer for a like term, in order that the late-maturing grasses, which would naturally be the ones eaten during the winter, may have an opportunity to reseed themselves and regain their former abundance. By this system of rotation the carry- ing capacity of the i^astures may be doubled or trebled in the course of a few years. NEED OF HAY AND OTHER FORAGE. It will be necessary also to provide hay and forage, which may be used during storms or in case of unusually severe winters, or in years when through drought or other causes the natural herbage is less than the normal. The range grasses, even when abundant, may be so injured by such unusual occurrences as heavy autumn rains as to be worthless as food for stock. During the severe winters thousands of cattle and sheep often die from starvation. Five per cent of their value invested in hay or other feed and kept available for use during winter storms would not only have saved their lives, but have brought them through the season in growing and healthy condition. Vast quantities of hay could a few years ago be secured anywhere for the cost of cutting and curing. With a renewed range this condition may be again attained, and even if the wild hay can not be depended on or can not be secured 11 a sufficient crop of sorghum, Kaffir corn, or some of the coarser culti- vated hay grasses should be planted to supply feed in times of scarcity. Hay meadows formed of native grasses are greatly needed. These native grasses have in the past shown all the best qualities of hay grasses elsewhere, and they do not require any experimental work to determine their adaptability to soil and climate or their general value. More than a third of all the grasses in the United States grow within the confines of the state of Texas, and the establishment of natural hay meadows of the wild grasses and forage plants is bound to prove successful and profitable. The first question to be determined is, which are the best for hay and which for grazing. Stockmen can do this work on their own ranches and settle the question for themselves. They can prepare and seed down lands with the best grasses and save hay every year for winter use, thereby adding largely to the capacity of their pastures for carrjnng stock. As soon as dependence is placed on hay or fodder the pastures are bound to improve, because stock fed a part of every year will need less pasture grass, and the pastures being allowed this periodic rest will more rapidly attain their best development. NATIVE GRASSES AND FORAGE PLANTS RECOMMENDED FOR PROPAGATION. In a consideration of the different native grasses and forage plants it has not been possible to inspect the ranges in all the counties, but those here discussed may be taken to fairly represent the entire section. Of the many varieties found, the following, from personal observation and from the accounts given by ranchmen and farmers, appear to be the most valuable : GRASSES. Western Wheat-grass {Agropyron spicatum) is a blue-stem which is rather wiry. It is from 20 to 30 inches high, and grows luxuxiantly all over central Texas. While it will not.produce as much hay to the acre as some other species, stockmen value it highly for its nutritive qualities. It withstands the droughts to which the section is period- ically subject, and is to be found not only on the uplands, but also in the low moist meadows. It is also known in the Northwest as Colorado Blue- stem. Feather Sedge or Feather Blue-stem {Andropogon saccharoides torreyanus) (fig. 1) grows in all of the counties of central Texas. It has a feathery looking "seed head" and a blue stem, grows from 2 to 3^ feet tall, and ripens an abundance of seed in September. When cured it is soft to the touch and is much relished by cattle. This is a com- mon grass on the dry prairies and mesas from Kansas to Texas west- ward to Arizona and southward into Mexico. 12 Bushy Blue-stem {Andropogon nutans)^ a very tall, cane-like grass, growing principally in rocky places, thoagk it is also on the open prairies. It will produce good hay in large quantities. Side-oats Grama {Bouteloua curtipendula), one of the best native grasses in central Texas, is highly regarded by stockmen. It was splendidly seeded in September when examined on the range. It grows equally well on the uplands and lowlands, in fallow ground and in the pastures. Cattle are very fond of it both before and after it ripens seed. It produces a great many seeds that do not shatter out readily, and, as it grows from 18 inches to 3 feet tall and makes a large quantity of fodder, soft when cured, it is an excellent hay grass. It is common through- out the prairie region and on the iDlains extending eastward to Pennsylvania. Black G-rama {Bouteloua Mrsuta). — Black grama is not as common throughout central Texas as stockmen would like to have it. It is not a hay grass, as it does not often grow tall enough for the mower, but it is certainly one of the best grasses for grazing purposes. In ap- pearance it closely resembles the blue grama {Bouteloua oli- gostachya), which is one of the most common of the native grasses of the "benches'' of Montana. Several stockmen of Mitchell and Taylor counties state that this black grama is "taking the prairie" rapidly, more of it being seen in 1897 than in former years. Blue G-rama {Bouteloua oligostachya) (fig. 2). — Very similar in most respects to the black grama, about the ouly difference noticeable by the unscientific observer being the lighter color of its " seed heads." It grows throughout all the cattle-raising States west of the Missis- sipi>i and is very common in Montana and Colorado, where it is known as Buffalo-grass. In central Texas it is regarded with much favor by stockmen. As it grows well on the high arid plains and bench lands and also on the lower and damper i)asture lands, and is both a hay and a pasture gTass, too high an estimate can not be put on it for stock pur- poses. It is said that "it far exceeds, in general opinion, the true Fio. 1.— Feather Blue-stem. 13 buffalo grass {Bulbilis dactyloides), which has gained much of its credit, at the expense of Bouteloua, the two being often confused by farmers and ranchmen." Rescue Grass or Arctic G-rass {Bromus unioloides).— An excellent winter-pasture grass, but not widely distributed in this section. The specimen forwarded for identification was found in Nolan County, in September. At that time its seeds had shattered out badly, and its leaves were not green, nor was there much of it. Stockmen say, how- ever, that earlier in the sea- son it was to be found in fair quantities in Mitchell, Nolan, and Taylor counties. It has been reported from some of the other counties of central Texas, where it is valued both as a pasture and as a hay grass. Arizona Millet ( Chwtochloa macrostachya). — A tall, rather coarse upland grass. It is a valuable hay grass because of its habit of growth, producing an abundance of "fodder and seed. It is one of the most common grasses of this section of Texas. Bermuda [Gynodon dacty- lon). — Probably not a native, but now so common in every part of this section that it is regarded as one of its dis- tinctive grasses. It grows about the windmills where it is freely watered tall enough to be cut for hay. For graz- ing purposes it is doubtful if any other grass will furnish more or better pasturage. If stockmen, instead of confining the propagation of it to their yards and lawns, would put down extensive fields of it, they would be amply repaid for the labor and expense. One stockman who has a 10-acre pasture well sodded with Bermuda grass says that he kept more than a dozen calves and 4 head of horses on it month after month, and that he frequently permitted as many as 10 extra horses to run on it several days in succession, and that he never thought he had over- stocked it. In the cities of central Texas it is being used to improve the footpaths and lawns. Stockmen and farmers in the country are Pig. 2.— Blue Grama. 14 using it to advantage to strengthen their dams and the banks of their water tanks. Wild Rye {Elymus canadensis) grows in nearly every neighborhood. It is to be found occasionally on the uplands, but is more common in the valleys. Stockmen say that, when it is young and green, stock of all kinds is fond of it. They think it will make good hay. It is one of the most promising of the native hay grasses. Everlasting Grass {JErio- chloa punctata) (fig. 3). — This grass was found in Shackel- ford County in a stubble field, where stock were eating it greedily. This was in Sep- tember, but a month later it was found in several other localities on the benches and in the valleys. A well- informed stockman of Tay- lor County says that it is a good x^asture grass when it first greens out in the spring, affords good pasturage all through the summer months, and in autumn, when pro- tected from stock, will furnish in abundance a good quality of hay. In the times when Fort Griffin, iu Shackelford County, was occupied as a United States Government post, this grass was a main reliance of the troops for hay. At that time it grew all over that vicinity from 2 to 4 feet high, and, as large sections were covered with it to the practical exclusion of other grasses, it was not difficult to secure hay in large quantities. Now, how- ever, it is rarely to be found in quantities sufficient or under conditions suitable for hay purposes — another instance of the reckless manner in which the range in all central Texas has been abused. In the valley of the Clear Fork, a few miles below Fort Griffin, this grass was seen growing luxuriantly in a field where no stock was allowed, showing by its strong growth what it will do under favorable conditions. Farmers and stockmen should cultivate it with special reference to its high value as a hay grass. Fig. 3.— Everlasting Grass. 15 Curly Mesquite {Rilaria cencliroides) (fig. 4). — Too rnucTi can not be said in praise of this superior pasture grass. Fortunately for stock- men, it is found in all the counties of central Texas and is about the most abundant, as it certainly is one of the most valuable, of all the native grasses. It has a peculiar habit of creeping over the ground and rooting at the joints of the stems, from which spring leafy branches that in their turn reach out for other places in which to take root. In protected localities it greeus out very early in the spring, makes a thick mat of leafy turf during the summer, matures on its roots, and in the fall and win- ter, when not rotted by late rains, alfords excellent pasturage for all classes of stock. No grass stands the long dry spells to which the section is periodically subject better than the curly mesquite. As it does not grow tall, sheep, horses, and even hogs are especially fond of it, and cat- tle prefer it to almost any other grass. In very dry weather it dries up and appears to be dead, but in a few hours after a warm rain it becomes green to the end of its smallest leaf blade and stem. When matured on its roots, it is very much better feed than at any other time, and stock will not only live but fatten on it without grain. It is doubtful if acre for acre it will support as many head of stock, year in and year out, as Bermuda grass, but it will stand drought better, and for general range purposes is cer- FiG. 4. — Curly Mesquite. tainly superior. When lands are sodded down to it and it is given the advantage of irrigation even by sprinkling, as is done in the case of Bermuda, it makes as attractive looking turf as the latter, especially when closely cut by the lawn mower. Some of the central Texas stockmen are sodding down small pastures, from 5 to 20 acres, with it, to be used as calf lots and for j^asturing the ranch horses used about headquarters. They report that such pastures in a good year will support one head of stock per acre. It grows well on any but alkali soils, on uplands and lowlands, out in the open or in the shade. In Jones County there is a small pasture well sodded within which 16 mesquite trees of uuusually large growth stand so close together that a wagon can with great difficulty be taken througli. In this f»asture the curly mesquite grows in the early summer quite tall enough to be cut with a mowing machine. Under very favorable conditions it could perhaps be developed into a good hay grass, but it is primarily and x)re- eminently a pasture grass. A Callahan County stockman, finding that there were many naked spots in his pasture, took the roots of the curly mesquite and with an ordinary garden hoe put them in the ground, scattering them over such spots from 3 to 4 feet apart. This was in the early spring. By the following autumn they had rooted and sent out their creeping stems to take root, and had covered the bare places. This was a case of making two blades of grass grow where none grew before, and suggests a practical way for the renewal of all the inuch- abused pastures in and out of central Texas. On plowed land this grass will spread very rapidly, soon forming a fine turf. It will pay farmers and stockmen to make the experiment of growing it on plowed land. Wild Timothy {Muhlenhergia racemosa). — Of all the native hay grasses of central Texas, this is one of the most valuable. It does not occur except in moist soils, but there it grows luxuriantly. A speci- men collected near Abilene measured 4 feet 7 inches in height, and it is often seen over 5 feet tall. It is slender and erect, its stems soft even when cured, with an abundance of leafage that does not fall from the stems, many seeds that do not droj) readily, and short but numerous creeping root-stalks. A farmer on whose place a lot of this was grow- ing informed me that the only grass of the many varieties growing- together on the place preferred by his cattle over this wild timothy was the wild oats ( Uniola latifolia). An acre of good moist land seeded down to wild timothy ought to produce in a fair season 2 to 2^ tons of hay equal to the best growu in any country. White To-p {Triodia albescens) \s, another excellent hay grass. It has a very soft stem with an abundance of leaves, and in September was splendidly seeded. It is found principally in the lowlands, where it grows from 18 to 20 inches tall; and also on the uplands, even in sandy and rocky places. In Taylor County, near Lytle Lake, it grows luxuriantly, but only there in places where it has the benefit of subirri- gation. It will doubtless prove a valuable grass for hay purposes when in cultivation, as stock are very fond of it. Galleta or Black Grama {Rilaria mutiea). — Up to a few years since this grass was not growing in any considerable quantities in the south- ern or eastern counties, although in the northern and western counties it constituted a large portion of the jiasturage. K^ow, however, it has established itself in all the sections, and stockmen report more of it this year in Taylor, Callahan^ Eastland, and Kunnels counties than was ever seen before. It is an important grass on the Staked Plains. In Mitchell County it grows as well on the highest as on the lowest pas- 17 tures. Immediately on the line of the Texas and Pacific Eailroad, in the latter county, is the latan Vallej^, aud a few years ago there were several thousand acres of this grass growing there, practically to the exclusion of other sorts. The stiff red clay soil seemed peculiarly fitted for its growth. Stockmen in that vicinity were in the habit of cutting- it every year ; it made an excellent quality of hay, much valued by the livery-stable men of Colorado City and Big Springs. It was in fact preferred to the baled hay shipped from other sections of Texas. Now comparatively little of this grass is available for hay purposes. It is recognized by all stockmen as being a valu- able pasture grass. Alkali Saccaton {Panicum bulbosum). — There is but little of this grass in central Texas and stockmen do not know much about it. Farmers re- port thatitonly recently made its appearance in cultivated fields. It will prove a valua- ble hay grass, though it is light for its bulk when cured. The specimens gathered grew on a valley farm in Eastland County. Barnyard Grass {Panicum crus-galU) (fig. 5). — The local naaies for this are goose grass and sour grass. It grows best in moist soils, in the prairie and Southern States, but until about 1893 was unknown in central Texas, so far as re- ported. That year it made its appearance in several of the counties, and was sup- posed by farmers to be Colorado grass {Panicum texanum). It is found only in cultivated fields, or in the immediate vicinity of barnyard build- ings. It grows iu bunches from two to fouvr feet high, makes a great deal of fodder and seeds, and when cured is soft to the touch. Cattle eat it with evident relish. It has a great many small roots that spread out near the surface of the ground. One farmer referring to it said: "It is easy to rid a field of it, as it can be kicked out of the ground roots and all, or easily knocked out with the back of a hoe." Specimens were collected in Jones, Taylor, Eastland, Nolan, and Shackelford coun- ties. Under cultivation it will doubtless prove to be a great hay grass. 15886— No. 10 2 Fig. 5. — Barnyard Grass. 18 Beardless Barnyard Grass {Panicum erns-galli mnticum) grows best in wet lands from Louisiana to southern California and as far north as the Dakotas. It is similar in appearance to the common barn- yard grass, having about the same habit growth, about the only differ- ence being its beardless " seed-heads." Farmers who are familiar with it regard it as a promising hay grass for wet meadows. Cotton-top {Panicum lachnanthum) is found in cultivated fields and grows from 16 to 32 inches tall. Its appearance indicates that it is a good hay grass. It has an upright habit, an abundance of leaves, soft stems, and many seeds that do not drop readily. It is rather light in weight considering its bulk, but stock seems to relish it when cured. It was not found growing in pastures, being entirely eaten out by cattle. Chaparral Millet (Panicum revercJioni) grows on the high- lands, in pastures, and in cul- tivated fields. Although not a tall grass and producing but little fodder, its stems are soft when green, not harsh nor stiff when cured, and it ripens an abundance of seed. It is an excellent pasture grass that stands the dry weather well, and as such is especially valued by stockmen. If culti- vated it might develop into a good hay grass. Hurrah Grass [Panicum reticulatum) occurs only in cul- tivated fields or along the roadsides. It is not well known either among the stockmen or farmers. A farmer in whose field it occurred says that he has been observing it several years and esteems it highly. Cattle and horses relish it dry or green, and it is a promising hay grass. It would doubtless show a large yield under proper cultivation because of its abundant leaves and soft stems. It seeds freely in September, but the seeds quickly shatter. Colorado Grass or Concho Grass {Fanicum texanum) (fig. 6). — It is doubtful whether this can properly be classed as a native of central Texas, though there are many farmers, especially in Tom (ireeu, Concho, Kuunels, Coleman, and Brown counties, who insist that they Fk;. 6. — Colorado Grass. 19 have Lad it iu tlieir fields, a native growth, for a great many years. It is now common throughout this section in cultivated fields. It does not ordinarily make its appearance until such field crops as Indian corn are about ready to be "laid by." Then it covers the ground, and by the time the corn is ready to be gathered it is nearly ready to be cut. Farmers here are beginning to "lay by" their corn with special refer- ence to this grass. That is to say, when they plow it the last time they leave the ground as smooth as possible without furrows. Later they cut the corn, leaving as little of the stalk as practicable, so that the grass may be mowed, thus securing a hay crop hardly less valuable than the corn. In an oat field of about 7 acres the Colorado grass grew 18 to 24 inches tall and yielded a fraction under 2 tons of hay per acre besides the grain. All classes of stock relish it and it is very nutritious, but left too long it dries out and sheds both its leaves and seed. It was first observed many years ago growing in the valleys of the Colorado River in Travis County, where the farmers regarded it as the best of all their hay grasses. It is a grass that does not have a weedy habit, and land can easily be freed from it in one season by following with cotton, but few farmers care to get rid of it under any circumstances. Switch Grass {Fanicum virgatnni) grows iu low places, on the banks of creeks, near tanks and pools, or in valleys where there is moisture. It is also reported from the moist uplands. Stock eats it, especially when it is young, and after it matures they eat the seed heads and pick off the leaves. The great abundance of the latter is a marked charac- teristic of this grass. Sj)ecimens were secured at the Seven Wells, in Mitchell County, which measured fully 7 feet tall. In a pool near Baird, in Callahan County, it was growing fully 6 feet in close compact bunches. After the grass is seeded the stems are rather coarse and harsh, and stock no longer relish them. If cut before it gets too old it makes a hay of fair quality. Water G-rass {Paspalum puMfiorum glahrum) is a strong growing perennial which ought to make a good hay grass. It was noted only in the valleys, but a well-informed farmer of Eastland County, on whose place the grass occurs, reports that it also grows fairly well on the uplands. It is found in most of the counties of central Texas. It often grows 4 feet high, and as it produces a great abundance of soft leaves it is regarded as a superior grass. MeadoiW lands seeded down to it would undoubtedly produce in favorable seasons quite as much hay as an equal acreage of alfalfa or Colorado grass. Texas Crovr-foot [Leptochloa dubia). — An excellent grass found in ISTolan County. It is worthy of being cultivated. Farmers in other counties to whom the Nolan County specimens were shown say that they have it growing on their farms, respectively in Taylor, Jones, and Eunnels counties. It is a promising hay grass. Drop Seed {Sporoholus cryptandrus). — Found in several localities, 20 but always in moist soils. Specimens were collected on the shores of Lytle Lake, in Taylor County, near the Seven Wells, in Mitchell County, on the Clear Fork of the Brazos, in both Jones and Shackleford coun- ties, and on the Sweetwater, in Nolan County. It ripens but few seeds. The leaf blades are narrow but abundant. It is a bunch grass, a single clump sometimes being 12 inches in diameter. Stockmen report that all classes of cattle eat this grass with evident relish, especially before flowering and in the winter when it is cured. There are a great many other grasses that have value either for hay or pasture purposes, or both, but those above enumerated are believed to be the most meritorious of those native of central Texas. FORAGE PLANTS NOT GRASSES. Stoiley Vetch [Vicia leavemvorthii) is a forage plant of decided value. It appears very early in the spring, and bears pods filled with small peas. It is eaten by stock in the spring and early summer. As late as September fair specimens of it were collected, but not in condi- tion to be eaten by stock. The peas had shattered out and much of the foliage had fallen from the stems. It is to be found in most of the pastures in this section, and is known locally by a variety of names. One farmer claimed to recognize it as the Butterfly pea that grew iu his native State of Georgia, but the vetch has the twining habit of a vine while the pea grows erect. A stockman who has held stock in Arizona and IsTew Mexico says that a similar vetch grows there and is known as the Bufl'alo pea, while a farmer from Louisiana says it resem- bles the Partridge pea. Several parties near Putnam, in Callahan County, experimented with this pea last year with satisfactory results. They report that it blooms from March to the middle of May and that the peas ripen while it is still blooming, after the habit of the English garden pea. A county official of Callahan County says that several years ago in February he saw this pea in full bloom about Aledo, iu Parker County, where it grows wild in great abundance. Tallow Weed {Actinella linearifoUa). — Every sheep raiser in all the stock counties of Texas knows the habits and valne of this remarkable forage plant. It is not a very common growth, but occurs iu almost every one of the counties in this section of Texas. It has somewhat the form of young lettuce when it first appears. Later it puts out a yellow blossom that fills the air with its rich perfume. Still later it forms a seed head resembling somewhat that of a yellow clover. It flowers in the early spring and is ready i'or all kinds of stock in advance of any other weed or grass. Some of the accounts given by enthusiastic stockmen as to its merits are almost too wonderful to be fully credited. For instance, one who has a ranch on the Clear Fork of the lirazos, iu Jones County, says that a few years ago, when a hard, wet winter had followed on the heels of a very dry summer, the little grass that was available rotted before Christmas, and, having laid up no hay, grain, or 21 other winter feed for his stock, he was gravely apprehensive that he would lose a great mauy of them before the early spring weeds and grasses would appear; but his range, it seems, was well seeded with the tallow weed, which continued to grow all the winter, and not only kept his stock alive but fattened them. He declares that when the sj)ring opened he had beef steers fat enough to be put on the market, fattened entirely on this plant. A sheep raiser of Tom Green County, in 1892, had his sheep on a ranch that was in both Tom Green and Crockett counties. During the earl 3^ winter of that year his ranch on the Concho River, in Tom Green County, where he was then holding his sheep, was overflowed and he lost all the hay and grain he had laid up as winter feed for his stock. The roads from his ranch to the rail- road were impassable on account of the frequent and heavy rains. Practically all the grass on his Concho Eiver ranch was rotted bj^ the rains. By midwinter his sheep were so thin that it looked as though most of them would die from starvation before spring. Earlj^ in Janu- ary he started his sheei) to this Tom Green and Crockett County ranch. He found there, early in January, quite a large proportion of this range covered with tallow weed just beginning to bloom. Up to that time he had no knowledge of its habits and value, but as his sheep ate it with evident relish; as there was nothing else for them he permitted them to eat their fill of it. In a short time they showed signs of improve- ment and by the first of March, when the weed was in full bloom, they were in satisfactory condition. Naturally this rancher is a firm believer in the tallow weed, which, according to him, "will i3ut more tallow on the kidneys of any kind of stock than the same bulk of any other forage plant that ever grew in any country under the sun." So far as known the tallow weed has never been cultivated in this section, and as it rarely grows very tall on the range no effort has been made to cut it for hay. In a cultivated field it will grow tall enough to be cut for hay which will be equal to the best. No chemical analysis of tallow weed has been made, but a forage plant that will, while green, fatten sheep and cattle, without other feed, in the winter and early spring must when properly cured prove very nutritious. Fall Tallow Weed {Amhlyolepis setif/era). — Found in October grow- ing luxuriantly, protected by a .brush fence, on a ranch about 5 miles north of Abilene. When within 200 yards of the spot where it was growing the familiar, rich, pungent, thoroughly agreeable perfume characteristic of the true tallow weed {Actinella linearifolia) could be recognized. That found as above stated was growing much after the habit of the clovers. It promises to be a superior hay producer, and may be recommended for cultivation by farmers and stockmen. Careless "W eed {Atri^Jlex ohovattim) grows anywhere and every where all over central Texas. It often grows in soils too strong with alkali for grasses. While not stating authoritatively that it prefers alkali soils, yet it does thrive under such conditions, and the suggestion is ventured 22 that it may have a special mission AYorthy the consider ation of stockineu and farmers — to reclaim alkali lands. It grows tall enough to be cut, and both its leaves and small twigs are eaten by stock. I know of no instance where stock have had to depend upon it entirely for food, but as a rule they know what is nutritious, so that it is quite probable that the "Careless TVeed'' has a special value as a forage plant. A reliable sheepuiau of Concho County says that sheep eat it greedily. It pro- duces enormous quantities of seed, and every year reseeds the land where it grows. A Mitchell County sheepman thinks that sheej) eat it because of its tonic XDroperties. It has a bitter priucijole that suggests such an idea. On the liigh plains of ISTevada and Utah, and in Arizona and New Mexico a similar species {A. lialmeri) furnishes a considerable part of the winter forage for both cattle and sheep. Cat- tlemen who have held cattle on the range in Arizona say that a salt bush, sweet sage [A. canescens), very similar to this in many respects, is a principal reliance in that sec- tion for all classes of stock. Beggar "Weed {Desmodium panicuJatum). — There is some' prejudice in the minds of many persons against this ex- cellent forage plant because of the fact that its seeds have away of fastening themselves to one's clothes. But this is only an incident that ought not to be considered in de- ciding upon its value for for- age. The fact is, horses, cattle, and sheep are all fond of it. It thrives best in low and moist soils, but it is also to be found on the uplands. The specimens collected grew in a rich, moist, sandy loam. Tlie stems are rather inclined to be woody, but when growing thickly, as fre- quently happens in this section, the entire bush is easily convertible into hay. As a renovator of wornout soils or as a green manure no better nor cheaper fertilizer can be used than to turn under the rank growth of the beggar weed. The tap root descends deeply into the soil, bringing up mineral fertilizers from the subsoil which can be util- ized by other crops. As it makes an excellent quality and a great abundance of feed for stock, it is recommended that farmers and stock- men familiarize themselves with the habits and general good ods are eaten by cattle and horses, which im- prove in flesh from the time these plants begin to appear. They grow abundantly in Eastland and Shackelford counties, and wherever they occur add much to the value of the forage on the ranges. Fox Sedge {Garex vul/pinoidea). — This is rather a common growth in most of the counties of this section of Texas. It grows to be 2 to 3 feet high, and bears an abundance of wide leaves. Cattle relish it and sheep raisers say that sheep are fond of it when it first greens out in early spring. Star Thistle {Centaurea americana). — There is much difference of opinion in regard to the value of this plant. Some of those who ought to know, insist that it is not worthy of consideration, while others claim with equal earnestness that it is one of the most valuable early forage plants of this section. A Callahan County farmer says that in the early spring of this year (1897) he was becoming apprehensive that his home bunch of cattle would suffer for feed before the grasses and weeds on which he usually relied for their early spring sustenance would appear. His milch cows, which were then being given the range of his fallow land as well as of a small pasture, instead of becom- FlG. 11.— Ground Plum. 32 ing thin improved iu flesh and the milk flow considerably increased. They came to the pens at night with their stomachs distended, and chewed the cud as contentedly as if they had been grazing in a first- class pasture. Investigating the matter, the fields and pastures were found to be covered with a weed from 3 to 6 inches tall, in appearance like a young tobacco plant, apparently this star thistle. The cows were eating of it greedily. Later it put up many stems from each root that grew to be from 2 to 3 feet tall. The flower was yellow and white and the seed head, when ripe, at a distance resembled that of the wild sunflower. Matured specimens of star thistle were found in great abundance iu Callahan, Shackelford, Eastland, Taylor, Jones, and Nolan counties and were identified by various farmers as this forage plant. A farmer who resides in Burnet County saw it growing in Callahan County and says that the farmers of his neighborhood esteem it very highly as an early forage, especially for milch cows. Lamb's Quarters {Chenopodnim album). — A common weed through- out this part of Texas. When young it is used by housewives as a salad, but farmers here regard it as a valuable forage plant for cattle. It grows in pasture lands as well as in cultivated fields, appearing in early spring. Grandpa's "Beard {Clematis drummondii). — This vine has some value for forage purposes, as cattle often eat the leaves. Its fruits are very showy and give to the plant its common name, as above. Wild Sages {Croton spp.) grow abundantly in this section, and if valuable for forage jjurposes the fact should be definitely determined and made known. Some farmers here say that cattle and sheep both eat them. On the other hand there are those who regard them as poisonous. It is possible that these sages have been confounded with other aromatic perennials which have much the same appearance and odor but which are known to be harmless. Red Root Sedge {Gyperus erythrorhizos). — A species of sedge that occurs in many parts of this section and is believed to be a good forage plant. It grows 2 or 3 feet high, has a strong root, stools out like wheat, and forms large bunches of leafy stems which stock of all kinds eat. If cut before it becomes too old it will produce a large amount of nutritious hay. It grows only in wet or marshy meadows. Hog Nut, Chufa {Gyperus esculcntus). — A sedge that appears in early spring in low places. It produces tubers similar to those of the blue weed, thougli in much larger quantities. Hogs are fond of these and will root up the ground in their search for them. In some sections of Texas it is cultivated especially for hogs, and the tubers are said to contain large amounts of starch, oil, and sugar. As it withstands dry weather well it is recommended for cultivation in sections subject to periodical droughts, with the caution that it may, like Johnson grass, be difficult to eradicate when once established. Ephedra nevadensis belongs to the same general group as the 33 piues, firs, and spruces. It grows throughout this entire section, but is not very common. It is generally found on the high lands and, as a rule, on rocky or gravelly soil. It has a bushy growth, its forage beiug an abundance of slender stems, branching out from the main stem. It is known to possess extraordinary qualities, being an excellent blood purifier. Among the Mexicans and " old timers" of this part of Texas it is used to make a tea that is said to be palatable and is known to be healthful. Cattle eat it greedily, so that it may be considered valuable as a forage plant. Alfilaria {Erodium cicutarium) (fig. 12). — A former hay contractor at Old Fort G-riffin states that he is thoroughly familiar with this plant and that to his certain knowledge it grows quite abundantly in certain sections of central Texas. Other stock- men who are familiar with the range in New Mexico and Ari- zona also state that they have met witli tliis j)lant in this part of Texas. The probabilities are thsitth\si>hiiit or Urodi urn mos- chattim or both, may be found. If so, stockmen will have good reason to be gratified, as " fila- ree" is known to produce excel- lent forage, relished by stock. Winter Fat {Eurotia lana- ta) is not very common in this section, but is found on the prairies in the northern and western counties of Texas. It is a fine winter forage plant and thrives in soils strongly impregnated with al- kali. Both cattle and sheep eat it and do well on it. Rosin Weed or Gum Weed {Grindelia squarrma) is worthy of notice, because its stems, leaves, and flowers exude a gum that is very sticky. Stockmen regard it as very much of a nuisance, because the manes and tails of horses, the wool of sheep, and the heads and tails of cattle frequently become gummed up with it, to the no small discomfort of these animals. Dwarf Broom Weed ( Gutierrezia sarothrw mierocephala). — A well- known plant, recognized as having fair forage properties, since stock eat it to some extent. Sunflower {Helianthns annuus) is said to be an introduced weed 1588G— No. 10 3 Fig. 12.— Alfilaria. 34 here, but liowever that may be, it is now very common. It is not only very abundant liere, but each year appears to be increasing-. It is regarded as very much of a nuisance, notwithstanding the fact that both its leaves and seed heads make a forage that is eaten and relished by cattle, horses, and sheep. The seeds are especially rich in oil and very nutritious. It does not suffer, no matter how dry the seasons are, which fact suggests that in this section the sunflower, now much despised, may be made to cut a rather important figure in the matter of supplying forage for stock. An improved variety, having heads measuring from 6 to 12 inches in diameter, is being cultivated, the seed being fed to fowls and the fodder to cattle. Artichoke [Helicmthus tuberosus) is well known in many parts of Texas and grows wild on the banks of a small creek in Eastland County. It bears underground edible tubers that make good hog feed, and both cattle and horses will eat the foliage. It should be cultivated here. Blue Weed {Hoffmanseggia stricta), the "Camote del Raton'' of the Mexicans. Within the past two or three years it has appeared in this part of Texas, and is already regarded by the farmers as a pest. Hav- ing been informed that no cultivated crops would thrive where it grew, an investigation demonstrated the incorrectness of this popular belief. It grows in soils strongly impregnated with alkali, where such crops as wheat, oats, corn, and garden vegetables and vines will not thrive. This fact explains why they and the blue weed are rarely found grow- ing together. A specimen was sent to the Department of Agriculture for examiuation by the Botanist, who says of it "I have received com- Ijlaints of this plant, as a weed, from Anson, Jones County, and Mur- ray, Young County, Tex. In both instances it is stated that the tubers are eaten by hogs and the foliage by cattle in dry weather. I do not know of any method of exterminating it other than by cultiva- tion and thick seeding with crops that will choke it out. It is proba- ble that grazing with sheep during dry weather would check the growth somewhat, but I do not think that it could be entirely exter- minated by this means." It forms long creeping roots bearing fleshy tubers. From these tubers the roots branch out indefinitelj-. In the digging of a well near Escota, Fisher County, roots of blue weed with the tubers were found growing thirteen feet beloM' the surface. As the blue weed Avill produce an abundance of forage and both the foliage and the tubers are eaten by stock it may be worth exjierimenting with in alkali soils. The tubers, however, are produced at su(;h depths that it would be ditticult to harvest them. Wild Verbena [Lipina noiUftora). — A farmer and stockman of Jones County, who has about an acre of ground thickly covered with this plant, regards it quite as valuable for forage as au acre of alfalfa. He insists that it is a clover, and that it is identical with the prairie clover that is found growing a little farther west: bnt in this of course he is mistaken. The seed heads of the two are somewhat similar in 35 appearance, but this is about as far as the resemblance goes. This ■wild verbena produces an abundance of forage, that is eaten and relished by both cattle and sheep. It deserves to be tested thoroughly to deter- mine its qualities. Bur Clover or California. Clo-ver{2Iedic((goniaculata). — Well known on the Paciflc coast, and found growing in the vicinity of Colorado, in Mitchell County. It is supi)osed the seeds were brought originally into this section in the wool of sheep shipped in from California. How- ever, it may have come from the Gulf States, where it is common. It is not here in quantities suf- ficient to make it worthy of much consideration at present. Prickly Pear ( Opuntia engel- manni) (fig. 13). — In many coun- ties in central and southwest Texas this well-known plant grows in great abundance, often from 6 to 10 and 12 feet high. A few years ago stockmen there began to utilize it for feeding- purposes. They gathered the so-called "leaves," singed off the spines with fire, and fed them with cottonseed cake to their cattle. The leaves and fruit are often fed to sheep. In this sec- tion of Texas this plant does not grow nearly so tall as farther south, nor is it nearly so com- mon here as there. Still it is here in considerable quantities, and must be considered in con- nection with other forage plants native to this section. Herders who have used this plant on the dry plains of west Texas state that sheep fed on it do not require any other food or water, as the succulent stems contain a large amount of water and enough starch and gum to sustain life. It is often asserted that cattle and sheep, fed on the jirickly pear with cotton-seed meal and hay, go into the markets as fat as those fed on grain and hay. If the prickly x)ear be fed alone it causes laxity, and when fed to working stock, a tendency to bloat. That it is one of the most valuable forage plants of Texas admits of no question. Soxxel [OxaUs corniculata). — A well-known little plant, common to this section, called locally sheep sorrel or sour grass. It has a slightly sour taste and is supposed to possess tonic properties. Both cattle and sheep eat it. Fig. 13.— Prickly Pear. 36 Prairie Clover [Euhnistera). — Stockmen here report that tbis species of clover, common throughout the prairie region, is to be found in many- parts of central Texas. It contributes a considerable amount of good forage on the ranges and is much relished by stock. Mesquite Bean [Prosojns juliflora) (fig. 14). — There are two well- known varieties of the small tree that produces this bean. Tn many of the counties of southwest Texas and along the Eio Grande the one bearing the screw bean or tornillo {Frosopis puhescens) is very common. The i)ods or beans are not only eaten by all classes of stock, but the Mexicans and Indians are known to use them as a food. The pods are spirally twisted, while those grown on the other variety are straight or curved. There are really two forms of this latter variety. In one the bark of the tree is much rougher than in the other, and the bean is bright j&\- low when ripe and much sweeter to the taste, the color of the other beingreddish rather than j'ellow. "A thorny, leguminous shrub, growing in favored localities to a tree from 20 to 10 feet high, with a trunk sometimes reaching 2i feet in diameter. It is widely distributed from Texas to south- ern California, through tropical America to Argentina. The leaves are very good browsing for horses and cattle. It bears two or more crops of beans a year, which are next to barley for fattening horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs. The leaves, pods, and bark are rich in tannin, and a gum similar to gum arable exudes copiously from the trunk and branches. The wood is hard, strong, and durable, and takes a high polish. It is the most common tree of the mesas of the Southwest, and because of its many uses is an exceedingly valuable species." Experi- nunits in a small way have been made here to preserve the beans for winter feeding witli i)artial success only, because of a small weevil, tliat bores into them after they are gathered and renders them unfit for stock feed. One acre of land well covered with mesquite trees often l)roduces not less than 100 bushels of the beans ])er annum. As, bushel for bushel, they are quite as A'aluable for feeding stock as cow- peas, it will be seen that for forage purposes the mesquite tree is an important factor in this section, where there are millions of them. Fig. 14.— Mesquite Bean. INDEX. Page. Actinella linearifolia 20 Af/ropi/ron spicatuhi 11 Alfilaria 33 Alkali saccatone 17 Allionla incarnata 30 Amamnthusblitoidi'g 30 Atiilliolepis setigera 21 Ammnnnia coccinea 31 Andropvgon nutans 12 sacchavoides torreyanus 11 Arctic grass 13 AristidaarizoDica 28 A nstida fascieulata 23. 28 Arizonr millet 13 Artemisia ludoviciana 27 ni exicana 31 Articlioke 34 Astragalus crassiearpus 31 Atriptex canescens 22 obovatum 21 palineri 22 Baruyard grass 17 Beardless barnyard grass 18 Beggar weed . . '. 22 Bermuda 13 Black grama , 12, 16 Blue grama 12 ■weed 34 Bogrusb 25 Hotiteloua curtipendxda 12 hirsuta 12 oligostaehya 12 Bromus unioloides 13 Browntop 29 Buffalo grass 24 Bulbilisdacti/loides 13, 24 Bur clover . .' 35 grass 25 Busby blue-stem 12 knot weed 28 Butterfly pea 27 California clover 35 Candy grass 29 Careless weed 21 Carex 25 vulpinoides 31 Cenchrus tribuloides 25 Centaurea americana 31 Chcetochloa italica 25 macrostachya 13 Chaparral millet 18 Chenopodiinn albit m 32 C'hloris alba 29 cucidlata 29 Chufa 32 Clematis drummondii 32 pianieularia 22 Clitoria mariana 27 Colorado grass 18 Conclu) grass 18 Cotton purslane 28 top 18 Crab grass 26, 29 Crotou 32 Crowfoot 29 Curley mes()uite 15 Cynodon dactylon 13 Cyperus .' , . . , 25 i I Paga Cyperus erythrorhizos 32 esciilentits 32 Dogtown grass 23 Drop seed 19 Dwarf broom weed 33 Elymus canadensis 14 Ejihedra nevadensis 32 Eragrostis major 29 pilosa 29 secxtndiflora 29 Eriochlua piinctata 14 Erodiit m cicuta riurn, 33 iiioscntinn 33 Eiirotia lanafa 33 Everlasting grass 14 Fall redtop 311 Fall tallow weed 21 Featbcr blue stem 11 crowfoot 20 sedge 11 Fox sedge 31 Galleta 16 Grandpa's beard 32 Grapevine mesquite 26 Grindelia sriuarrosa 33 Ground plum 31 Gum weed 33 Gnnaninipil 30 Gutierrezia sarothroe microcephala Hall's ^rass 29 Hairy-flowered panic 29 Helianthus annvus 33 titberasi's 34 Hila ria cenchroides 15 mvtica 10 Hoffmanseggia stricta 34 Hog nut 32 Hurrah grass 18 Jttncus 25 Knot grass ... ■ 26 Kuhnistera .- 35 Lamb's quarter 32 Leptochloa diibia 19 Lippia nodiiiora 34 Love grass 29 Medicago maculata 35 Mesquite bean 36 Muhlenbergia arenicola 29 racemosa 16 ten uiflora 25 Keedle grass 23 Old witch grass 29 Opuntia cngelmanni 35 Oxalis corniculata 35 Panicum bulbosum 17 capillare 29 ciliatissimum 29 crus-galli 17 inuticum 18 fuscum 29 'hallii 29 lachnanthuni 18 obtusion 26 reticiilatum 18 reverchoni 18 sangidnale 26 texanvm 18 virgatuin 19 87 38 INDEX. Page. Paspalum cKstichum 26 pubijloruin glahruin 19 Phaseolus helvolus 22 Plan tago gnaphalioides 28 Polygonum ramosissinium 28 Portulaca oleracea 28 pilosa <..,. 28 Prairie clover 36 oage brush 27 Prickly pear 35 Proso'pisjulijlora 36 Purslane . . .". 28 Kedroot sedge 32 Rescue grass 13 Kosin weed 33 Sage brush - 31 Satin grass 25 Sedges 25 Side-oats grama 12 Sorrel 35 Sporobolus cryptandrus 19 drummondii 30 Star thistle 31 Stink grass 29 Stollev vetch 20 I'age. Sunflower 33 Switch grass 19 Tallow weed 20 Texas crowfoot 19 Tickle grass 29 Triodia albescens 16 seslerioides 30 Triple awn 28 Tumble weed 30 Tin tola latifolia 27 Yicia leaven ivortldi 20 Water grass 19 purslane 31 TVestern wheat grass H ^Yhite sage 31 top 16 Vildbean 22 millet 25 oats 27 rye 1-t sedges 32 timothy 16 verbena 34 Winter fat 33 Woolly plantain 28 o I L ^fl _ 'nn ^^