SECRETARY'S REPORT. (39 



probably two hundred years ago, and many years before clover was 

 introduced. 



In what follows on this branch of our subject, I have borrowed 

 freely from the treatise of Prof. Buckman on the Natural History of 

 British Grasses, his observations being remarkably accurate and 

 comprehensive. 



"Grasses, as they appear over the surface of the earth, naturally 

 divide into two sections — cereal or cultivated corn grasses, and nat- 

 ural or wild grasses. Now the first of these do not appear to grow 

 anywhere as wild plants, but may in all cases be deemed as deriva- 

 tives obtained from wild examples by cultivation through a long 

 series of years, and hence the varieties — not species — which will be 

 found to abound in all of them. These variations maintain a crreat 

 permanency of form, if the circumstances of cultivation be strictly 

 maintained ; but left to themselves they would either die out alto- 

 gether, or revert again to soaae original wild type. 



The natural grasses may conveniently be divided into the follow- 

 ing groups : V 



1. Jungle or Bush Grasses. 



2. Aquatic or Water Grasses. 



3. Marine or Seaside Grasses. 



4. MeadoiD or Pasture Grasses. 



5. Agrarian or Fallow Grasses. 



Jungle grasses are those which for the most part have a tendency 

 to grow in a distinct and separate manner, assuming in some tropical 

 examples v.here they reach their maximum, the height of 50 or GO 

 feet, presenting more the aspect of trees than the lowly herbs of our 

 northern species. 



In our own country, though we fall far short in size, yet many of 

 our species have the same disposition of growing in distinct bunches, 

 having no inclination to form a matted turf, but mix with shrubs or 

 grow as separate plants beneath tall trees, or maintain a distinctive 

 form even in meadows. Of these the following may be named as 

 examples : 



Alra ccespitosa — Turfy Hair Grass ; 



Avena j^ratcnsis — Meadow Oat Grass, (narrow leaved:) 



Festuca clatior — Tall Fescue Grass. 



There are others, which if cultivated by themselves, assume the 

 same distinctive and even cushion form of growth, as 



