The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-19
Agricultural Grasses.

Philadelphia Record.
In a country covering twenty five degrees of
latitude and sixty of longitude. and presenting
such extremes of climate and diversity of SOIL
we cannot expect that the grasses thriving in
one section will be equally available for all. In
the Northern and Eastern States the well-known
timothy, Herds grass and Kentucky blue grass
have long been i'll successful cultivation and to-
gether with one or two other varieties fully meet
the demands of that section But these species
cannot stand the protPacted season Of excessive
heat of the South. nor are they suited for the
dry atmosphere of the great plateau that rises
beyond the Mississippi. 1T is one of the most
important questions for these regions to obtain
such kinds as shall be thoroughly adapted to
their peeuliarlties of climate and soil"
Within the limits of the United States there
are about GOO species of grasses mostly native,
few naturalZed from other countries. Many
of these species are entirely too small, too
coarse, too sparse, or in some other way wanting
in the character needed for a good agricultural
grass. 1t can hardly be doubted, however that
among so many native species, there are those
which will meet the requirements of the oe
casion, but much careful observation and many
trials and experiments will need to be made be-
fore the question is satisfactorily determined.
Eo an intelligent performance OF this work
knowledge is first required of the Characteristics,
habits and nance Of the species now occupying
the ground and very important aid to the &C
QUESTION of this knowledge will be found in the
work issued by the Department of Agriculture
at Washington, entitled THE Agricultural
Grasses of the United States" with descriptions
and figures of a large number of the common
grasses now prevailing in the different parts of
the country, enabling an ordinary observer to
identify the grasses which may come under his
observation.
In the chapter on Winter Grazing in the
Rocky Mountains" General Benjamin Alyord
says; In the arid Rocky mountain plateaus the
grasses, as they stand on the soil, cured in
the sun during the summer, the action of the
heat retaining and concentrating in the stalks
the sugar, gluten and other constituents of
which they are composed. This is true of the
bunch grasses this buffalo and grama, and
many similar grasses which pervade those
regions. 1t is so cold and so dry in those ele-
vations that there are neither heat nor moisture
to rot them. The SHOWS are so fine (save in
some exceptional seasons) in that cold atmos-
phere, and so blown about by the winds into
drifts that four ths of the soil is never covered
by them. Thus the grass is ever accessible
to the domestic and other animals The region
higher than 1000 feet above the sea and fit for
winter grazing includes all-nearly up to the
timber land-of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming,
Utah, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico, and
five sixths of. Arizona, one-half of Dakota, one
third of Nebraska, fifth of Kansas. one
fourth of Texas and onesixth each of Califor-
nia Oregon and Washington Territory" This
embraces about ne-fourth of the area of the
whole United States.