51 



hay. In low, moist, and rather rich meadows its cultivation would doubtless 

 be profitable, and it is certainly deserving of a trial in such locations. 



No. 155. Panicum aniarum Ell. Bitter Panic-grass. (Fig. 62.) 



A grass of the sandy seacoasts, ranging from Connecticut southward to Florida and 

 along the Gulf. It has coarse, hard stems, 1 to 5 feet high, and strong, creeping 

 rootstocks, making it an excellent sand binder. The islands oft" the coast of 

 Mississipj)i are almost wholly made up of drift sands, the outer sides being 

 dunes from 10 to 30 feet high, while the middle of the islands is usually low and 

 occupied by swamps or lakes. This bitter panic is very abundant upon the out- 

 side of these dunes, where it is exposed to the winds and waves, and where 

 it serves to eft'ectually bind the otherwise shifting sands. The leaves and stems 

 have a bitter taste, hence the common name. 



_n^ig^i^ 



Fifj. 60. — Fowl Meadow-grass 

 {Panicularia nervata). 



Fig. 61 — Munro grass 

 (Panicitm aiiroitoi- 

 des). 



Fig. 62.— Bitter Panic-grass ( Pan 

 icum amarum) . 



No. 156. Panicum capillare Linn. Old Witch-grass. 



An annual, with usually coarse, branching stems, 1 to 3 feet long, hairy leaf sheaths, 

 and widely spreading panicles. Grows in cultivated grounds, where it often 

 becomes a somewhat troublesome weed. Being an annual, however, it is easily 

 eradicated. Possesses no value for fodder excepting for fall feed on stubble. 



No. 157. Paiiicuni ciliatissimum Buckl. Indian Wheat. 



A more or less extensively creeping perennial, with short leaves and upright flowering 

 stems, 6 to 18 inches high. The panicles are narrow and few flowered, and in 

 the prostrate forms usually partly included within the leaf sheaths. This grass 

 is a native of western Texas, and doubtless possesses some agricultural value for 

 the drier regions of the Southwest. The creeping stems resemble somewhat 

 those of Bermuda-grass, but the leaves are usually more crowded and broader 

 in proportion to their length. 



