44 



luiicilaginous tea is prepared, used in medicine. The graiu is largely fed to 

 horses, both iu this couutry and in Europe, but the chief use is for brewing beer. 

 " Brewers grains," a by-product, both wet and dry, are fed to cattle, chiefly iu 

 the vicinity of breweries. 



No. 127. Hydrochloa carolinensis Beauv. Floating-grass. 



A slender aquatic grass of the Gulf States, growing along muddy banks and In 

 eliaUow streams. Tile steins are often 2 feet or more in length, and in shallow 

 water tlieir summits appear above the surface, while in water of greater depth 



the uppermost leaves are 

 floating. The tender 

 stems and leaves are eat- 

 en by stock, and m:iy af- 

 ford some food for water- 

 fowl. 



No. 128. Imperata arundi- 

 uacea Cyrill. Blady-grass. 

 A sand and soil binder com- 

 mon throughout the 

 warmer temperate and 

 tropical regions of both 

 hemispheres. It is a 

 stout, erect, leafy grass, 

 1 to 3 feet high, with sil- 

 very-white spike-like 

 panicles. The rootstocks 

 form a perfect network 

 of strong fibers, and iu 

 warm countries the grass 

 is recommended for bind- 

 ing river banks, the sides 

 of dams, and the loose 

 sands of the coast. This 

 grass is easily propagated 

 by root cuttings, an<^ 

 might be utilized along 

 the Gulf Coast or along 

 the Lower Mississippi in 

 strengthening the levees. 

 In the Malay Archipelago 

 this Imperata is the prin- 

 cipal grass of the Alang 

 Alang fields, and is used 

 by the natives for thatch- 

 ing roofs. Cattle eat it when young with .-ippareut relish, .md in Bengal it 

 forms a very large portion of the pasturage. The Tclingas make use of it in 

 their nuirriage ceremonies. In western Texas and Arizona there is a native 

 species, Imperata hookeri (fig. 52), A^ery much like the one above described, iu 

 appearance and habit of growth. It grows naturally around the borders of 

 .•ill<aline sjiriniis. 



No. 129. Isachne australis R. Br. Swamp Millet. 



A sleinhir grass, (Tee])injx at the haav, the upright stems 1 to 2 feet high, with loose, 

 open panicles of very small spikelets. It is a native of southern .Vsia and Aus- 

 tralia, generally found growing alonj; the sides of stre.ims and on swampy 

 ground. It is said to be liked by cattle, and Mr. Fred Turner recommends it 



Fia. 52. — Imperata hookeri; a to g, details of spikelet. 



