P. TEXANUM, BUCKL. TEXAS MILLET. 189 



About 250-280 species, widely scatterecl over the earth. A 

 large and difficult genus. 

 P. Texaiiuni, Biickl. Texas Millet, Texas Panic Grass. — 



A leafy annual, 'i-b ft. high, sparingly branched. Leaves G-8x 

 ■^1 in; soft with i-ough margins. Panicle G-8 in. long, narrow, 

 erect, spikelets oblong, pointed. Lower, empty glume half as long 

 as the second, acute, 5-nervcd. The u]iper glume 5-7 nerved. 

 The floral glume transversely wrinkled. 



For most of the following I am indebted to Dr G. Vasey. 

 This grass is a native of Texas. It is a grass of rapid growth, 

 succulent, yielding a large amount of forage. 



Mr. Pryor Lea, of Texas, after trying it for somo years, con- 

 siders it superior to any grass that he ever saw for hay. It is a 

 much more certain crop than millet, and cultivated with less 

 labor, and all kinds of stock j^i-efer it. It prospers best in the 

 Avarmest season of the year. 



A. W. Raveuel, of S. C, has tried Texas millet for several 

 years, and esteems it very highly. 



Dr. Pliares, of Mississippi, says. ''In habit it is much like 

 crab grass, which is inclined to crowd out this millet." 



Prof. 8. B. Buckley, of Texas, says: " It grows thick and very 

 rapidly, one or two months being sufficient to bring it to maturity 

 for hay. It thrives best on the Colorado bottom lands, yet I 

 have seen it growing on poor upland soil, but it was dwarfed at 

 least one-half. It may be cut twice or three times a year.*' 



It need hardly be said that this grass promises nothing for the 

 northern United States. 



A VENA, ],. 



Spikelets 2-flowered, very rarely 1 -flowered, panicled, rachilla 

 jointed between the flowers, lower flowers, at least, perfect, the 

 upper often male or imperfect. Empty glumes persistent below 



Fig. 84.— Panicitm Taxantim (Texas Millet); numbers J, 2, top of a plant ; 5, dorsal 

 view of spikelet ; 4, front view ; S, side view ; 6, floral {jlume ; 7, side view of floral 

 glume and ualea. — (U. S. Agricultural Department, details by Scribner). 



