37 



lary, open panicles. This grass is widely distributed, throughout the subtropi- 

 cal and warmer temperate regions of both hemispheres. In this country it has 

 received no attention or is regarded as little more than a ^^eed, but in Australia 

 and India il is spoken of as being an excellent fodder grass, and the seeds are 

 eaten by the natives of Ajmere, India. 



No. 102. Eragrcstis purshii Schrad. Southern Spear-grass. 



A native annual, similar in appearance to Eragrostis pilosa, and growing in similar 

 situations. It is common from the Middle States south ward, and extends south- 

 westward into Texas and Arizona, where it exists in a great variety of forms. 

 It grows to the height of 1 to 2 feet. It is nowhere considered of any agricultural 

 importance. 



No. 103. Erianthus raveunae Beauv. Plume-grass. 



A stout grass growing to the height of 8 or 10 feet, with large and plume-like pani- 

 cles 10 to 20 inches long, resembling in some degree Pampas-grass. Cultivated 

 for lawn decoration, as is also the variety with variegated leaves. A native of 

 the Mediterranean region. 



No. 104. Erianthus saccharoides Michx. Plume-grass. 



A tall stout grass of striking appearance, 4 to 6 feet high, with a reddish or silvery- 

 white showy panicle from 5 to 10 inches long. This grass ranges from New .ler- 

 sey to Illinois and southward to the Gulf, growing in very wet places and open 

 swamps. Of no agricultural value, but deserves notice as an ornamental grass 

 for lawns and gardens. 



No. 105. Eriochloa aristata A'asey. Mexican Everlasting-grass. 



A branching leafy annual, 2 to 3 feet high ; native of Mexico. Seed of this grass was 

 obtained by the Dei»artment in 1888. It was cultivated in the grass garden 

 located at Starkville, Miss., by Prof. S. M. Tracy, who says that it is a much 

 more promising grass than E. annidata, more hardy, less injured by drought, and 

 produces a heavier growth. It will make two good crops of hay annually in the 

 South, the best crop being from the second growth, which is ready to cut in 

 October. The grass produces an abundance of seed and reseeds itself, making 

 its production comparatively inexpensive. 



No. 106. Eriochloa punctata (Linn.) Hamilt. Everlasting-grass. 



A quick-growing, smooth, succulent perennial, 2 to 3 feet high, with flat leaves and 

 narrow panicles 2 to 4 inches long. Widely distributed within the tropical and 

 subtropical regions of both hemispheres. In Australia it is regarded as an excel- 

 lent pasture grass, lasting all the year round and well liked by stock. The seed, 

 which is produced abundantly, is easily gathered. This grass deserves the 

 attention of Southern dairymen. In Arizona it grows throughout the valleys 

 in irrigated soil, or in the rich moist places of the plains, yielding abundant 

 herbage eagerly sought by all kinds of stock. 



No. 107. Eriocoma cuspidata Nutt. Indian Millet. (Fig. 43.) 



A grass of rather striking appearance, 1 to 2 feet high, widely distributed through- 

 out the Rocky Mountain region from British America southward to Texas and 

 New Mexico, eastward to the Missouri, and westward to the Sierras of California. 

 It grows in dry sandy soils, forming bunches of greater or less size, and from 

 this habit of growth it has been called, along with a number of other grasses, 

 "Bunch-grass." It thrives in soil too dry and sandy for the growth of most 

 other grasses, and is much esteemed for grazing in the regions where it abounds. 

 In New Mexico this grass is by some decerned superior to grama, on account of 

 its huge and nutritious seeds or grains, which are used by the Indians to some 

 extent for food. 



