Arizona republican., 1901-06-15
AUSTRALIAN SALT BUSH
Result of Experiments With it as a
 Forage Plant.

The following bulletin. prepared by Mir David Grfiiths, has been issued by the agricultural exp ariment station of the Territorial university:
 The salt bushes Of Australia are very numerous. as would be expected from the alkaline and arid conditions which prevail over large areas of that island continent Many of them have been in troduced into this country, and have been received with varyinS degrees Gf favor in the several arid sections of the western United States However only one (AtripleN mibaccata) has been universalloy appreciated, For this req son one Is allowed to speak of this plant a. the Australian salt bush.
 Although spoken of as a bush" it forms under favorable conditions for it's development large quantities of quite succulert forage which Is readily eaten hy either hor.es. cattle or sheep It is much less woody than the common "sages" of southern Arizona. to which |, Is closely related: and furnishes a much larger as well as much more succulent growth. Like them it is per nnial and therefore does not re- qulrc res scding eS 'ept at long intervals unless 1t be plsturad too closely. At the anne time it produces. an abundant supply of seed that germ mates readily in this region at anr time of the year when there is :gaiclent rlisture and in any but our Culdcst weather. One plant has been known to produce bush" one to two feet high and three to five feet ir diam ter in a single year When t first appears above the ground it hes two small elongated leave1 at the extremity of a short stem which is often tinged with red. Tn this stage it closely resembles the troublesome pig weeds Co which it Is not distantly re- lated. But it may soon b. aistinguis.hed from these by the subsequent leaves. which are somewhat oval in outline and have sparsely toothe} margins. az well as by thf red puipy fruit which is abundantly produced from August to December.
 The experiments which have been conducted with this plant m this Terri tory are quite encourlg ging and al least warrant further investiea tionS On the university campus at Tucson where the caliche comes within l2 Co IS inches of 'HF SUI AHNc 'A luf Slpuut II ndS lflule ! quite respectable growth during the past year without artificial watering. The conditions here give 1t rather se- were test, for it thrives best. according to all reports. in a deep lolmy soil. It is highly recommended for ditch banks where the soil washes badly. as its prostrate stnms growing in a thick mat on the ground interfere quite effect 1 ualy with the erosive action of water. 1
 Mir. J. T, Hildreth Jf Stafford, Arizona | has had remarkable success in growing 1 this plant. In a recent letter in an- ! swer to an inquiry he expresses the 1 belief that it is far superior to anything ! yet introduced in his locality for the | improvement of the range He has al- 1 ready seeded nine acres and will put | In considerable more the coming sea son.
 This station planted little less than | an acre in January. This Is now up and | looking we'll or course these expert ! ments are simply indicative and by no | means prove that this plant will be a valuable one in this territory. They are. however. encouraging and suggest that the r7ncher may improve his na- tive range by a judicioue introduction of this dry land salt bush.
 In View of the necessity of finding