310 



inv treatiiK'iit ')\' tlic Andropogonea', but it miglit well \iv argued that if 

 Digituria Scop., of the I'aiiicea' is worthy of fiX'nerif rank. then, siii-cly. 

 other subgenera of Pankum sucli as EcJiinorhloa, Fiyopli jj/hnii, and 

 Ifi/meiiacJiiic. and the more eharaeteristie sul)genera of Andropogon are 

 also worthy ot it. in tliis eonneetion it is sufficient to state tluit if. at tlie 

 present time, there existed a monograph of tlu' Panicca' or of any otlier tribe 

 of Graminca', treating sueli tribe or tribes as Haekel does tlie A inlropogo- 

 nece, I shouhl doubtless have followed such work or works in the se(iuencc 

 of genera and species. However, in the matter of a local flora, it is 

 sometimes a decided convenience to consider some sections of large 

 genera as distinct and of generic rank, whereas. b(>cause of intermediate 

 forms it might i)rove impractical)l('. in a monograph covei'ing tlie entire 

 world, to regard such groups as distinct. 



It has been found impossible, because of insufficii-nt nuiterial, to treat 

 the Bamhvsece at this time with any degrt't' of completeness or satisfac- 

 tion. Tn this ti'ibe most of the s})ecies flower but rarely and at very 

 long inter\als. wliile in most cases both mature Howers and fruits are 

 essential to work out properly the various species and their relation- 

 ships. Characters presented by the culm-sheaths are of considerable 

 importance in classification. I)uf many collectors ignore these organs, 

 while notes as to size and hal>it aie apt to be short and incomplete. The 

 scandeiit bamboos a])|)ear to flower at much shorter intervals than do 

 the erect ones, apparently in sonu> cases (t^Hi IzophgUiim acntifiorurn 

 ]\runro) annually. During four and one-half years' experience in the 

 l*hili])pines 1 ha\e sei'U but three sjjecics of arboi'cscent bamboos in 

 flower, and in two of these the flowering was a])parently due to culm- 

 injuries, and was not nornuil. At most, at the present time tliei-e ai'e 

 in our hci-bai'iuni. in llowei'. bnt li\'e species of erect bamboos, but the 

 number of dilferent species actually growing in the I'bilippiiu's is rather 

 large, and doubtless will a[)pi'o,\imate IT) or "^d. 



Econoinicallv the (tnniiincir is tlie most impoi'tant family nf plants, 

 and this fact applies to ibc riiilippines as well as to otlu-r ])ai-ts of 

 the world. IJice (Ori/za sulira Linn.) is our most important cci-eal. ami 

 it is grown, with main' cultural foi'ius and \arielics, ihi'dughout the 

 l'hilipj)ines. Corn (Zni iinii/s l>inn.). inti'oduccd fi'om Amei'ica at an 

 earlv date bv the Spaniards, is at present the only other cei'eal of im- 

 |»oi'tance gr-own in the .\rclii|ii'lago. Of minor iuipoi-laiice is the culture 

 of Italian millet (Scliiria llu/icd I'lcauw ) locallv known as Pairn oi' /hint. 

 oceasion;dl\ the tiaie millet { r<iiiliii in iiiiHiKrnni Linn.), locally known 

 as ('(ihiii/. and soi'gbuui ( A m/ropoguii surgli nut ISrot.) locally known as 

 I'xihtil. in the past, aecoi-ding to early reports, wlieiit {Tfll icit tti rtthptrc 

 \'\\\.) wa- somewhat planted in nortbeiai Luzon, but its eultui'e in the 

 .\rcliipelago ha.- now lieeii ilisconl iiiu<'(l. Of great commercial im- 

 portance to the IMlilippino. i< the culllll'e of >llgai' cane { Sdcr/ntftt ttt 



(j/ficinariiiit liinn.). 



