Grasses and Forage Plants of the Dakotas Volume 1-10 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1897 edition. Excerpt: ...River Club-rush (Scirpus flui-iatilis). This rush is quite abundant in many places along fresh-water streams, lakes, and ponds and in sloughs. It is one of the most important of the rushes growing in this region, furnishing a large amount of forage which is relished by stock early in the season. It is an important element in "slough grass hay," and, though coarse, is readily eaten by stock and contains a high percentage of crude protein. It yields an abundance of seed, which makes an excellent food for poultry and has even been fed to cattle and horses with good results. It should be crushed or ground up when fed to stock, on account of the very hard seed coats. The large shallow lakes common in parts of the Dakotas are often almost entirely covered with this plant. Very frequently the lakes dry up in the latter part of the summer and many hundreds of tons of hay are cut from them. Rush (Scirpus spp. and Juncus spp.). For the more important kinds see Bog-rush, River Club-rush, and Meadow-rush. Russian Thistle (fialsola tragus). This vile weed has become quite generally distributed throughout the Northwest. When other forage is scarce stock will eat this plant quite readily either in the fresh state or when cured for hay, especially if, in the latter case, it is mixed with oat or millet hay. It has been fed to sheep with best results and many farmers in this region have wintered their flocks with little else in the shape of "roughness." But while many follow this practice if the "thistle" is already present on the farm, no one would recommend it to be sown for forage on account of its pernicious habits as a weed. Rhynchospora capillacea. (See Slender Beak-rush.) Salt-bushes (Atripleii spp....., .., ..., ., ......