The Mineral Content Of Prairie Grasses Within A Five Mile Radius Of Prairie View College

Of all the plants of the earth the grasses are of the greatest use to the human race. To the grasses belong tie cereals, sugar cane, sorghum, and the bamboos; and, since they furnish the bulk of forage for domestic animals, the grasses are also the basis of animal industry. The grasses furnish the principal breadstuffs of the world and a large part of the food for domestic animals. (8) In Texas the dominant grass over many of the prairies is curly mesquite (Hilaria Belangeri) (6), a dod-former, similar to Buffalo grass and Bermuda. It is of interest to consider briefly the calcium and phosphorus contents of various species of herbage in relation to mineral requirements of grazing animals. Archibald and Bennett (12) concluded after a review of the literature, that 0.15% of phosphorus in the herbage is the lower limit of safety, below which point the deficiency may seriously lower the value of the pasture for grazing purposes