occasionally met with them quite smooth. The two upper leaves longer than the panicle. Ligule of long hairs. Leaves more or less hairy. The root leaves are short and broad, often purple. Upper leaves from two to three inches long and from three-sixteenths to a quarter of an inch wide. The different forms of this plant have received various names. P. pubescens represents a variety with very long, shaggy hairs and larger flowers. One with still smaller spikelets is called P. laxiflorum. One with smooth, shiny leaves is P. nitidum.

18. Panicum depauperatum.-Spikelets obovate, rather acute when young, about one-eighth of an inch long, but variable, being sometimes only about half that length, conspicuously striate. The lower glume is broadly ovate, about one-third the length of the upper, and inserted a little below it; both glumes striate and acute. The lower palea of the neuter flower is about the length of the upper glume, the upper one very small. The perfect flower is ovate and about one-fourth shorter than the lower palea of the neutral flower. Panicle nearly simple, few flowered, contracted, on a long, slender peduncle, about two inches long and generally considerably exceeded by the leaves; the branches mostly in pairs, one of which bears a single spikelet, the other two. Culm cespitose, erect, mostly simple, hairy, about from six to fourteen inches high; sheaths rough, hairy; leaves narrowly linear and elongated, from four to six inches long and about one-eighth of an inch wide, involute in the fall, hairy underneath, pale green, fringed with a few long hairs at the base. Flowers in May and June. Found in dry, sandy soils, particularly on hill sides; quite common.

19. Panicum verrucosum.-Warty flowered panic grass. Spikelets oval, acute, very small, less than a line in length, dark green. Upper glume covered all over with small warts and obscurely nerved; the lower glume only about one-fourth the length of the upper one. Lower flower neutral, of only one palea which much resembles the upper glume. The perfect flower oval, smooth but not glossy. Panicle lateral and terminal, diffuse, capillary, few flowered, the branches flexuous. Culm smooth, slender, often branching from the base, decumbent, geniculate, one to two feet long. Leaves about one-fourth of an inch wide, smooth, shining. Flowers in August. Sandy swamps near the coast. This species is very easily distinguished by its verrucose glumes and its capillary loose spikelets.

20. Panicum crus-galli.-Barnyard grass. Spikelets two to threesixteenths of an inch long, oval, on very short pedicels, rough hairy,

imbricated on the branches. Glumes acute; lower glume about one fourth of the length of the upper one, hairy, with a strong central rib which sometimes projects a little beyond the apex; the upper glume herbaceous, five-nerved, sometimes awned. Lower palea of the sterile flower awned or awl pointed; the awns sometimes are over an inch in length, hyaline in the center, herbaceous near the margins, seven-nerved, with stiff appressed hairs. Upper palea oblong, rounded at the apex, hyaline, with only a central nerve. Perfect flower ovate, pointed, shining. Panicle a compound raceme, the branches alternate, having the spikelets thickly imbricated, the secondary branches short, giving the branches the appearance of being spiked. The panicle five or six inches long. Culms stout, branching from the base two to four feet high, erect or somewhat procumbent. Sheaths smooth, the lower ones loose. Ligule wanting. Leaves six to twelve inches long, half an inch wide, undulate margined, strongly nerved. Flowers from August to October. It varies very greatly, sometimes having very long awns and sometimes almost awnless. It is chiefly found in moist heavily manured soils, mostly around barnyards, along the lines of drainage. A rough sheathed variety grows near the salt water. (Fig. 223, Panicum crus-galli; Fig. 224, a spikelet spread out, showing the unequal glumes, the sterile flower with its awn and the pointed perfect flower; Fig. 225, the glumes by themselves; Fig. 226, the sterile flower; Fig. 227, the perfect flower; Fig. 228, the ovarium, pistils and stamens.) The figures are taken from Dr. Parnell's work, and probably give the English form of the grass accurately; but in this country, the spiked branches are much longer in proportion to their breadth than they are here represented. The oval white mark at the base of the leaves is not intended to represent a ligule, but simply a white mark at the base which turns orange at maturity.

60. SETARIA.-Bristly foxtail grass. Name from the Latin seta, a bristle. Spikelets altogether as in Panicum proper, and awnless, but with the short peduncles produced beyond them into solitary or clustered bristles resembling awns (not forming a real involucre). Inflorescence a dense spiked panicle, or apparently a cylindrical spike. Annuals, in cultivated grounds with linear lanceolate or flat leaves; properly to be regarded as a sub-genus of Panicum.

1. Setaria verticillata. - Spikelets compressed, almost sessile, crowded, clustered, furnished at the base with stout bristles in pairs, which are strongly toothed, the teeth pointing downward. Glumes. unequal; the lower one about one-third of the length of the upper,

broad at the base, pointed on the apex; upper glume oblong ovate, five-ribbed. The lowermost floret sterile, consisting of one palea, which very much resembles the upper glume. The upper floret fertile; the lower broader, but not longer than the upper, three-ribbed; the surface curiously dotted with longitudinal lines; the inner palea folded and also minutely dotted. Spike cylindrical, three to four inches long, somewhat interrupted, pale green; the branches on which the clusters are situated are very short; the rachis rough. Culms one to two feet long, erect, generally branched below, bearing four or five leaves. Sheaths smooth; the upper sheath longer than its leaf. Leaves flat, rough, especially on the margins. Ligule short, fringed with hairs. Anthers dark purple, seeds hard and polished. Flowers in July and August. Found in gardens and near dwellings, though it sometimes escapes into the fields, where it is a nuisance. The spikes when thrown against woollen cloth, will adhere to it, and it is well known to most playful boys from this circumstance, as they love to pelt passengers with them. Fig. 229, Setaria verticillata; Fig. 230, rachis with the spikelet removed, leaving the rough bristles, natural size; Fig. 231, glumes; Fig. 232, lowermost floret, single palea; Fig. 233, upper floret; Fig. 234, spikelet, showing the two bristles with reflexed teeth; Fig. 235, ligule of upper sheath, natural size, all others magnified.

2. Setaria glauca.-Foxtail. Bottle grass. Spikelets about onesixteenth of an inch long, surrounded by an involucre of from six to twelve bristles about one-half an inch long, barbed upward. Lower glume about one-fourth the length of the upper one, pointed, threenerved. Upper glume five-nerved, oblong-ovate, acutish. Lower palea of staminate flower about equal to the upper glume, five-nerved. Upper palea about as long as the lower, but more linear and pointed. Perfect flower transversely wrinkled: culm two to four feet high, with four or five leaves. Sheaths smooth. Ligule short, bearded. Leaves about one-fourth of an inch wide, four to six inches long, hairy at the base, rough on the margins. Spike two to three inches long, cylindrical, dense, growing tawny when old. Flowers in July and August. A pest in cornfields, especially at the west, where we have seen the cornfield covered with it as if it had been an old sod. We formerly supposed that it was utterly worthless, as we never knew it to be eaten by any animal, either green or dried, but we have since been informed by Dr. Warder, that he had such a luxuriant growth of it in one of his cornfields that he mowed it and made it into hay. To his great surprise, he found that in the winter season

his cattle eat it voraciously; they would leave blue grass and timothy at any time to eat it. This is a good illustration of our ignorance of the circumstances that influence the growth of grass. We never saw it eaten by cattle in the stubble fields in a single instance, and yet there were certain special conditions in Dr. Warder's field which made it palatable to them; when we are able to ascertain what those conditions were, we shall have made great progress in grass cultivation. We once delivered an address, years ago, on the grasses, and in the course of it expressed our opinion very decidedly on the worthlessness of the tawny bottle grass. When we had finished, an old farmer came to us, and told us we were mistaken about the matter. He said: "Them seeds is master things for young turkeys, there's nothing in the world like 'em." We have since verified the old man's statement, and are well satisfied that there is no food upon which turkeys thrive better. All kinds of poultry thrive on the seeds, but none of them seem to do as well as turkeys. Dr. Darlington also confirms the statement. Fig. 235a, a magnified spikelet of S. glauca; Fig. 2356, the spikelet displayed.

3. Setaria viridis.-Green foxtail. Bottle grass. The chief dif ference between this and the preceding species is, that the lower glume is rather shorter; it does not become tawny with age but remains green; the perfect flower is wrinkled lengthwise, and dotted, instead of being wrinkled transversely as in S. glauca. There is, however, a very faint transverse marking in S. viridis. The Woburn experiments give the produce of the grass when the seeds are ripe, and growing in a rich siliceous soil incumbent on clay, at 5,445 pounds to the acre, which lost 3,267 pounds in drying, and gave 127 pounds of nutritive extract. It flowers in July and August, and in fact, continues to flower until frost. Mr. Sinclair says, that its seeds form the favorite food of birds. Fig. 235c, Setaria viridis; Fig. 235d, rachis with spikelets removed, leaving the rough bristles the natural size; Fig. 235c, spikelets enlarged, showing the long bristles with erect teeth; Fig. 235ƒ, glumes; Fig. 235g, lowermost floret of one palea; Fig. 235h, upper floret of two paleæ; Fig. 235i, ovary, pistils and stamens; Fig. 235k, ligule of upper sheath.

4. Setaria Italica.-Spikelets one-sixteenth of an inch long, on pedicels as short or shorter than the spikelets, yellowish green or purplish; lower glume about one-third the length of the upper one, pointed, three-nerved; upper glume oval, seven-nerved, about equal to the neutral palea, surrounded by a cluster of toothed bristles two or three in number, varying in length from one to three-fourths of

an inch; neutral palea much like the upper glume; perfect flower not smooth nor glossy, obscurely five-nerved; spike eight to twelve inches long, interrupted at the base, compound, drooping; culms two to four feet long; leaves from six to eighteen inches long, serrated on the margins, broad, flat; sheaths pubescent on the margins; ligule consisting of a beard. The Hungarian grass, cultivated extensively at the west and to some extent at the east, is a variety of this species. It is an annual plant and on good soil it affords a very great yield of hay. In Missouri it is very extensively cultivated, and the most of the hay used at the cattle yards connected with the railroads is made from it. It does not succeed well on heavy, moist soils, but it requires a dry, light or medium soil for its best production. It has a remarkable power of resisting drought, and when its growth is retarded by long-continued dry weather, it starts into luxuriant growth with the first rain-fall. It may be sown broadcast, but it is better to sow it in drills.

61. CENCHRUS.-Hedge hog or Bur grass. Spikelets as in Panicum, awnless, but inclosed one to five together in a globular and bristly, or spiny involucre, which becomes coriaceous, and forms a deciduous hard and rigid bur; the involucres sessile in a terminal spike; styles united below.

1. Cenchrus tribuloides.-Spikelets inclosed in a horny involucre, which is thickly clothed with hairs and studded with barbed retrorse spinous processes, inclosing two or three spikelets, the involucres usually split on one or both sides; the glumes ovate lanceolate, fivenerved; sterile flower mostly staminate; perfect flower cartilaginous; raceme terminal, with from eight to twelve alternate heads or clusters; culm erect or procumbent, geniculate, branching at the base, smooth; sheaths smooth; ligule bearded; leaves flat, slightly scabrous on the margin, about one-fourth of an inch wide and from three to eight inches long; rachis angular, flexuose. Flowers in August. Very common in sandy soils about the coast, in the vicinity of the great lakes and the Hudson river. It is a great pest around dwellings on account of its thorny burs which are armed with sharp teeth, which makes it difficult to withdraw from the clothes, or the wool of sheep. Utterly worthless as food for cattle, it should be carefully extirpated as soon as it makes its appearance on a farm. Fig. 2357, involucre of Cenchrus tribuloides in flower enlarged; Fig. 235m, longitudinal section of same; Fig. 235n, a spikelet displayed.

62. TRIPSACUM.-Gama grass. Sesame grass. Spikelets moncecious, in jointed spikes, which are staminate above and fertile below.