SECRETARY'S REPORT. 71 



other "practical," they are equally the results of observation, and 

 both constitute knowledge of a practical kind. Of these, some of 

 the more common are, 



Phleum 'pratcnse — Herdsgrass or Timothy ; 



Agrostis vulgaris — Redtop : 



Poa jiratensis — June Grass or common Spear Grass ; 



Dactylis glomerata — Orchard Grass or Cocksfoot ; 



Alopecurtis prate?isis — Meadow Foxtail ; 



Festiica jjratensis — Meadow Fescue Grass. 



Asrrarian or Falloio Grasses are those which occur in land un- 

 der tillage. They are all weeds and some of them great pests. 

 Among these are, 



Agrostis stolonifera — Creeping Bent Grass ; 



Broiims secalinus — Chess, Cheat, Rye brome grass, Willard's 

 Bromus ; 



B?'omiis mollis — Soft Brome Grass ; 



Poa trivialis — Rough Meadow Grass ; 



Poa annua — Annual or Spear Meadow Grass ; 

 Triticum repens — Couch or Twitch Grass. 



The latter three are sometimes sown, but appearing often where 

 not wanted, they are very troublesome and difficult to eradicate. 

 The last named is the most so. 



In treating of the structure and anatomy of the grasses, it is well 

 to remark at the outset, that they form an exceedingly natural 

 group, and although they have such differences that species can be 

 recognized by careful analysis, they yet have such agreement in 

 common that the most casual observation is usually sufficient to de- 

 termine one of the family to be a "grass," or to enable us to refer 

 it to the GraminecB as the natural order of plants to which it be- 

 longs. 



There being then such similarity of parts in species of grasses, 

 and these parts often minute, it follows that in order to understand 

 descriptions so as to enable us to distinguish one species from an- 

 other, or to analyze them, we must first understand the minute 

 distinctive characters which such parts present. This done, the 

 student may soon know them tolerably well ; but otherwise, al- 

 though he may learn tiames, it will be only in a traditionary man- 

 ner and with constant liability to error, according as his informer 

 may be well or ill acquainted with the subject. 



