156 



equal, lower oue convex, not compressed, inner one slightly keeled, 

 purplish, obscurely nerved; lower palet lanceolate, acute or short cuspi- 

 date, minutely scabrous, obscurely 5 nerved, convex, inner palet nearly 

 equaling the outer, narrow, slightly hispid on the keels ; anthers 3, 

 linear. Eadical leaves numerous, involute, G to 12 inches long, rough 

 margined. Culms erect, H to 2 feet high ; panicle, 3 to 4 inches long, 

 loose ; branches single or in pairs, naked below, erect. 



Grapliephoriini Jiexuosum, Thurb., a handsome grass, occurs from Fort 

 Garland, Colorado, as also a grass which approaches very near the same 

 genus, but which seems to connect that with Triscfum. It might easily 

 be mistaken for Graphcphorum melicoides, but a close examination discov- 

 ers the short awn on the back of the palet. A close examination of some 

 specimens of G. onelicoicles, from near Mount Kineo, Maine, discloses 

 also a short awn, though shorter than in these Rocky Mountain speci- 

 mens. Other specimens of G. melicoides, from Canada, fail to show any 

 awn. The question arises whether these short-awned specimens should 

 be considered as belonging to Grapliepliorum or Trisctum. The Rocky 

 Mountain specimens seem to be specifically distinct from those of 

 Maine, and may, for the present, be characterized as follows : 



TrisetiimWolfii, apparently cespitosc, and from a running root-stock ; 

 culm erect, 1 to IJ feet higji, smooth, culm leaves flat, short, (1^ to 4 

 inches;) lower leaves and sheaths somewhat scabrous, ligule lacerate; 

 flowers in an upright close panicle, "which is 2-4 inches long, 1-2 rays at 

 each joint; spikelets lanceolate, 2-flowered, and with a rudiment or con- 

 tinuation of the rachis half as long as the upper flower ; the rachis and 

 rudiment villous hairy ; glumes lanceolate, membranaceous, acuminate, 

 equaling the flowers, which have a few hairs at the base ; lower palet 

 lanceolate, acuminate, slightly split or two toothed at the point, ob- 

 scurely 5-uerved, bearing near the point a straight appressed awn, 

 equaling or a little exceeding the palet ; upper palet rather shorter ; grain 

 oblong or linear, nearly as long as the palets. Collected at Twin Lakes, 

 Colorado. A very similar, if not identical, species was collected in the 

 Rocky Mountains in ISOS, on the expedition of Major Powell, and dis- 

 tributed as 693 of Vasey's collection. 



Some interesting forms of Bromns and Triticnm occur, but arc not 

 yet sufiicieutly studied. 



FACTS FROM OFFICIAL SOURCES. 



British lairoRTS of wheat and flour. — Official returns of iniports 

 into the United Kingdom show that the total iuiport of wheat, in the 

 two months ending February 28, 1874, was 7,208,721) cwts., of which the 

 import from Russia was 1,250,594 cwts., a decrease of 1,177,313 cwts. 

 from January and February of 1873; and from the United States, 

 4,454,942 cwts., valued at £3,050,974, an increase of 2,020,951 cwts. 

 The increase in the United States imports of flour was from 100,227 

 cwts. to 713,989 cwts. Counting wh^at and flour, the United States 

 receipts in the tw^o periods were, respectively, 5,325,773 and 10,949,852 

 bushels. The price of this wheat was equivalent, respectively, to $1.79 

 and $1.83 per bushel. For these periods, in which a small total increase 

 is shown, the Russian receipts were reduced about one-half ; those ot 

 the United States were doubled. 



Black-leg among cattle. — The Department was recently addressed 



