REPORT OF THE BOTANIST. 357 



It is a pereuuial grass, of strong, rank growth, about 3 feet high, the 

 culm and leaves roughish, the leaves broadly linear, light green, and 5 

 or 6 on a culm. • 



The panicle is generally but 2 or 3 inches long, the upper part dense 

 from the shortness of the branches, the lower branches longer and spread- 

 ing, but with the spikelets glomerated or tufted closely together. The 

 spikelets are usually 3 to 4 flowered, one sided, on short rough pedicels. 

 The glumes are pointed and somewhat unequal, the upper one being 

 smaller and thinner than the lower. The lower palet in each flower is 

 ovate-lanceolate, roughish, and ending in a sharp pointer short awn, and 

 is rather longer than the glumes. 



Mr. J. S. Gould says, respecting this grass: 



The testimony that has been collected from all parts of the world for two centuries 

 past establishes the place of this species among the very best of our forage grasses, 

 and we have not the shadow of a doubt that the interests of our graziers and dairy- 

 men would be greatly promoted by its more extended cultivation. It is always found 

 in the rich old pastures of England, where an acre of land can be relied upon to fatten 

 a bullock and four sheep. It is admirably adapted for growing in the shade, no grass 

 being equal to it in this respect except rough-stalked meadow grass (Poo triviaUa.) 



(See Plate XX.) 



BouTELGUA OLiGOSTACHYA — Grama grass. 



The name Grama grass is given to several species of Bovteloua grow- 

 ing on the gTeat plains of the eastern slope of the Eocky Mountains 

 and the high table-lands of Texas. They are valuable grasses for graz- 

 ing purposes, but they grow too short and too thinly to be advantageous 

 for hay. They grow in bunches with a mass of short leaves at the base. 

 The principal -characters of the B. oligostachya are as follows: 



The culms or stalks are from 1 to 1^ feet high. Near the top there 

 are usually two or three, sometimes more, curved flower spikes, about 

 1^ inches long, consisting of numerous sessile flowers closely set on one 

 side of the stalk or rachis. The spikelets consist of the pair of glumes, 

 one perfect flower, and one or two neutral or rudimentary ones. The 

 palets of the perfect flower are two or three toothed or awned at the 

 apex. 



Although this is one of the most valuable of grasses for the western 

 plains, it has never been successfully cultivated in the moister districts 

 of the sea-coast. (See Plate XXI.) 



Spartina cyngsuroides — Fresh-water Cord grass. 



This species much resembles the salt reed or marsh grass of the Atlan- 

 * tic coast, which is much valued for making marsh hay. The fresh-water 

 Cord gr;iss grows away from the sea-coast, and in the Western States 

 becomes very plentifid, forming a large part of the product of the 8l«".aghs 

 or wet marshes of that region. It is a perenuij^l, tall, coarse, and stout 

 grass, growing from 3 to 5 feet high, with leaves 2 or 3 feet long. It is 

 frequently cut tor hay, but is a very coarse inferior article unless cut 

 when very young. It gives good feed very early in the spring, but be- 

 comes so coarse as soon to be rejected by the cattle when anything better 

 is procurable. In the bottom lands of the Mississii)pi it is abundant, 

 and has to some extent been manufactured into paper. The top of the 

 culm for about one foot is occupied by from 5 to 10 or more flower spikes, 

 which are from 1<} to 3 inches long, and consist each of two rows of 

 closely set spikelets on one side of the rachis. The spikelets are each 



