67 



Peiiiisylvauia, New York, and Wisconsin. Rye is more largely cnltivnted iu 

 central and northern Europe than in America; the grain is there very largely 

 used for making Itread. It is comparatively little used in this country for that 

 purpose, being chiefly employed in the manufacture of malt and spirituous 

 liquors. The straw, which is longer than that of other grains, and more uniform 

 in size throughout, is employed in the making of a great variety of articles, 

 such as paper, hats, bonnets, mats, slippers, toys, and fancy articles. Rye 

 straw is little valued for fodder, but when gre«n it is esteemed as a forage plant, 

 and is sometimes sown for this purpose in the Southern States, cattle being 

 allowed to graze on it during the fall and winter months. For winter graz- 

 ing it should be sown upon well-prepared land early in 

 August, when it will be ready to ])astnre or to cut green 

 in the latter part of ( )ctober, and may be grazed through- 

 out the winter months. 



No. 218. Spartina cynosuroides (Linn.) Willd. Cord- 

 grass. (Fig. 79. ) 



StoiTt, with erect, simple stems 2 to 9 feet high, Hat and 

 long-pointed leaves, and numerous erect or sjireading 

 spikes 2 to 5 inches long. This is a native, commou 

 along our ocean and lake shores, borders of rivers, etc., 

 ranging from Maine to the Carolinas, and westward to 

 the I'acitic. It makes a fair but rather coarse hay when 

 cut early, and has been successfully employed in the 

 manufacture of twine and paper. The strong, creep- 

 ing, scaly rootstocks of this grass adapt it for binding 

 loose sands and river banks, and in the AYest it is used 

 for thatch. 



No. 219. Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl. Fox-grass. (Fig.80.) 

 A rather slender species, 1 to 2 (rarely 3 to 4) feet high, 



with two to four slender, eiect, or widely spreading 



spikes. This is conmion upon the salt marbhcs, and is 



one of the luost valued species which go to form the 



salt hay that these marshes produce. It ranges from 



Maine southward to Florida and along the Gulf coast to 



Texas. It is useful for packing glassware, crockery, 



etc., and in the larger towns along the coast is much 



used for this purpose. Fox-grass and IJlackgrass (Jini- 



cus gerardi) are regarded as the best of the grasses of the 



salt marshes for the production of hay, and chemical 



analyses have proved the correctness of this opinion. 

 , Salt hay, composed chiefly of these grasses, at avei'age 



market prices ia decidedly cheaper than timothy hay. 



No. 220. Spartina striata inaritima (Walt.) Scribn. Creek-sedge. (Fig. 81.) 

 An erect and often stout salt marsh grass, with flat leaves, and few to many erect 

 ' spikes. It varies a good deal in size, the larger form attaining a height of 5 to 8 

 feet. It grows along the ditches and creeks of the marshes, and is conspicuous by 

 its size and long, shining leaves, which are of a deep green color. Smaller forms 

 are found over the marshes away from the ditches, and these often are of a pale- 

 green tint, with comparatively short and shining leaves. All the forms are 

 somewhat succulent and have a rank odor, which is imparted to the milk and 

 butter of cows feeding upon them. The species is of little value for fodder, but 

 makes excellent thatch, and is used to some extent for litter and mulching. 

 This is a characteristic grass of the salt marshes, and is found along both the 

 Atlantic and Pacific coasts of our country and on the shores of Europe. 



No. 221. Spinifex hirsiitus Labill. Spiny Rolling-grass. (Fig. 82.) 



A sand binder of the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. It has stout, 



Fui. 81. — Creek -sedge 

 {Spartina atricta mari- 

 titna) 



