The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-12-11
Acr!cul. uraI Grasses

In country covering TWENTY-FIVE
degrees of latitude and sixty of long
ditude, and presenting such extremes
of climate and H.. t.Slty of soil, we
cannot expect that the grasses thirty
ing in one section VIII be equally
available for all. 10 the northern and
eastern states the we'll known Tim
othy, Herds grass and Kentucky blue
grass have long been Unsuccessful cul-
tivation and /, g-ther with one or two
o.her varieties fully meet the demands
of that s. clt,n. But these species
canno' stand t protracted season of
excessive h Of the south nor are
they suited Tor the dry atmosphere
OF the great plateau that rises
beyond the Mississippi. at is one CT
the most important questions fer
these regions 10 obtain such kinds as
shall be thoroughly adapted to their
popularity OF climate and soil.'
Within the limits of tie United
states there are about six hundred
| species OF grasses. mostly native, Il
few naturallzed from other countries
Many OF these species are either
too small, too coarse, too sparse, or in
some other way wanting in the char.
acter needed for good agricultural
grass. 1t can hardly be doubted, how
ever, that among so many native
| species, there are those which will
meet the requirements of the occasion
but much careful observation and
many trials and experiments will
need 10 be made before the question is
satisfactorily determined. To an
Intelligent performance of this work
a knowledge is required of the charac.
istics, habits and names of the species
now occupying the ground, and very
important aid to the acquisition OF
this knowledge will be found in the
work issued recently by the depart
ment Of agriculture at Washington
entitled, "The Agricultural Grasses OF
the Unitrd States" with descriptions
and figures of large number of the
common grasses now prevailing in the
different parts of the country, en-
abling an ordinary observer to iden.
tify the grasses which may come IN
der his observation.
In the chapter on "Winter grazing
in the Rocky Mountains" Gen. Ben
jamin Alvord says: In the ariC
Rocky Mountain platelus the grasses
as they stand On the soil, are cured il
the sun during the summer, the actor
of the heat retainig and concentrating
in the stalks, the sugar, gluten an(
other constituents of which they arr
cnmposed. This is true of the bunch
gras, es, the buffalo and the grama
and many similar grasses which per
wade those regions. 1t is SO cold ant
SO dry in those elevations that Their
: are neither heat nor moisture to 70
r them. The SHOWS are so fine Save il
in some exceptional seasons in cold at
phere, and SO blown about by tn
+ winds into drifts, that four-ffths O
: the soil is never covered. by then
: Thus the grass is ever accessible t.
7 the domestic and other animals. Tn
J region higher than 5000 feet abov
( the sea and fit for winter grazing, in
cludes all-pearly up to the timbe
line-of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming
Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Ne7
t Mexico, and five-sixths of Arizon;
{ one-half of Dakota, one-third of NJ
/ braska, one-ifth of Kansas, ont
/ fourth of Texas and one-sixth eac
? of California, Oregon and Washing
e ton Territory" This embraces abou
one fourth of the area of the Whol
r United States.