The Natural History of British Grasses. 169 



but occasionally highly tinted. As our British grasses, with but 

 one exception in Nardus striata, heath grass, possess two 

 stigmata, so they belong to the Linnaean order Digynia. 



Seeds are sometimes loose in the chafF-scales, as in the wheat ; 

 in others the glumel is adherent, as in barley ; — a circumstance 

 which may explain how readily wheat grain is shed when ' dead 

 ripe,' as the attachment of the seeds to the chaff-scales is much 

 less firm than that of the flower to the flower-stalk : these facts 

 fully justify the process of reaping, as involving more care, for 

 the former, and of the rougher method of mowing for the latter ; 

 this, however, is now calculated as a matter of expense, and not 

 one of mere waste. 



For the sake of perspicuity the following resume of parts is 

 added, with references to our figure : — 



-rj . /Fibres, A The true root fibres. 



\Rhizome .... Creeping undergi'ound stem. 



I Culm, B The whole aboveground stem. 

 Joint A single length from node to node. 

 Node, C The hard knot between joints. 



I Sheath, ry. .. The folding portion of a leaf. 

 Ligule, D". .. The tongue of the leaf. 

 Blade, D'". .. The lamina, or free part of leaf. 

 Floral f Glumes, E. .. The oiiter chaff-scales, in pairs. 

 Envelopes IGlumels, F. .. The inner chaff-scales, ditto. 



IjFilament, H'. .. The thread supporting the anther. 

 Stamen .. JAnther, H". .. The pouch containing the pollen. 

 (Pollen The fertilizing dust. 

 p. .., /Style, K' The support of the stigma. 

 *■ "IStigma, K". .. The receptacle for the pollen. 



Seeds, I The reproductive organ. 



N. A barren shoot .. ..A flowerless branch. 



Inflorescence. — Thus far we have described the separate parts 

 of the structure of grasses ; we have now to point out the terms 

 used to designate these in aggregation, which will be briefly 

 considered under the following heads : — 



a. Herhage, that is the leaf portion, principally concerned 



in pasture. 

 h. Cuhns, or parts which grow upright, and make up so 



much of the bulk and weight of hay. 

 c. Heads of flowers, the various forms which they assume. 



a. The quality of grasses depends so much upon the quantity 

 and pliysical character of the lierbage, that for agricultural pur- 

 poses these should always be noted with great care ; lience, if 

 for liay, both bulk and qualit}- is much influenced by luxuriant 

 leafage, a character in which grasses will be found to difTcr in a 

 remarkable degree ; if however this be rough and unpalatable, 



