76 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ening the upper part of the sheath to the culm, as without it the 

 wind would tear the leaves downwards, in which case their functions 

 would become much disturbed and they would soon wither and die. 



The flower in grasses consists of the elements of an entire plant, 

 each bunch, spikelet or locxista of flowers being but a grass in min- 

 iature, consisting of a central axis or stem with its alternately ar- 

 ranged leaves, the stamens, pistils and seeds in the axils of which 

 are but buds ; this fact mny at once be seen in vivijiaroiis speci- 

 mens, such as are often found in the Lollimi perenne (Perennial 

 rye-grass) and Cynosiirus cristatiis. (Crested dog's-tail.) in which 

 instead of flowers, we have complete buds, which have been detached 

 and grown as distinct plants of their respective species. 



In these examples the case is very different from that of germin- 

 ation in the ear which takes place in lodged and damp wheat, as in 

 the latter the seeds have been perfected, and germination takes 

 place from heat and moisture in the usual manner ; but in vivipa- 

 rous o-ro7vth, the envelopes and their organs, instead of growing 

 seeds on the principle of arrested development, go on growing into 

 branches, and no seed is consequently perfected. 



Flowers consist of the following parts : 



Glume, from the Latin ghima, husk or chaff, "1 

 outer chaff scales, I 



Glumel, or {paha, a Latin word of nearly sim- } Floral envelopes. 



ilar signification with gluma), inner I 



chaff scales, J 



Stamens, } -r^ ,-,- • 



Pistils, i Fertihzmg organs. 



Seeds — grain — reproductive organs. 



Floral envelopes, upon the theory here adopted, consist of met- 

 amorphosed leaves ; they are arranged in pairs, and each scale starts 

 from an opposite side of the central axis, but not from the same 

 point. The outer pair subserves the same use as the Calyx in other 

 plants, and receives the name of culyx glume ; the inner pair or 

 pairs — for sometimes several occur in a single glume — is termed 

 rrhimcl or palca^ and the pieces of which either are formed, obtain 

 the name of valves ; the lower one being the outer, and the upper 

 one the inner of each respectively. 



The glumes differ in shape, and in the presence or absence of Ion- 



