NATURAL HISTORY. 55 



to the farmer, especially when it appears in his grain fields. It 

 is an early grass, but the quantity of herbage, and especially its 

 quality, make it unfit for cultivation. Indeed, the only species 

 of any value, or at all fit for cultivation, belonging to this large 

 genus of grasses, is the bromus arvensis, and even that has been 

 discarded from modern agriculture. 



I have been thus minute in speaking of this grass, because I 

 have felt it my duty to disabuse the minds of farmers with regard 

 to it, a duty in which I have recently, and since the above was 

 written, been anticipated by my friend, Sanford Howard, Esq., 

 author of a valuable paper on the Grasses, in the Transactions 

 of the New York State Agricultural Society, for 1855. 



I have but little acquaintance Avith, and no prejudice against, 

 Mr. Willard, but regret exceedingly that he or any one else 

 should make a mistake so serious to tlie community, and take 

 so much pains to propagate " cheat." Fortunately the plant is 

 annual. The fact of its having been cut before it was ripe, in 

 1855, accounts for its growing on the same piece in 1856. 



Smooth Brome Grass, or Upright Chess, (bromus race- 

 mosus,') has a panicle erect, simple, rather narrow, contracted 

 when in fruit. Flowers closer than in the preceding, lower 

 palea exceeding the upper, bearing an awn of its own length. 

 Stem erect, round, more slender than in chess, sheaths slightly 

 hairy. In other respects it is very much like Willard's bromus, 

 but may always be distinguished from it as well as from bromus 

 arvensis, in the summit of the large glume being half-way be- 

 tween its base and the summit of the tJiij'd floret, on the same 

 side ; whereas in Willard's bromus the summit of the large 

 glume is half-way between its base and summit of the second 

 floret. This character is constant, and offers the surest mark of 

 distinction. It is common in grain fields. Flowers in June. 

 It is worthless for' cultivation. 



Soft Chess, or Soft Brome Grass, (bror,ms mollis,^ is some- 

 times found. I procured beautiful specimens of it at Nantucket, 

 where it was growing in the turf with other grasses on a sandy 

 soil near the shore. Its panicle is erect, closely contracted in 

 fruit, spikelets conical, ovate, stems erect, more or less hairy, 

 with the hairs pointing downwards from twelve .to eighteen 

 inches high, joints four or five, slightly hairy, leaves flat, stri- 

 ated, hairy on both sides, rough at the edges and points ; sum- 



