DESCRIPTIONS OF TRIBES AND GENERA. 79 



do not fall off at maturity. The fruiting glume lias, at 

 its base, a smooth place enclosed by two slight longitu- 

 dinal swellings and is not shining, a character which 

 makes it easy to distinguish this species from the com- 

 mon Millets. Hungarian grass is extensively raised 

 in Japan, China, some parts of the East Indies and Trans- 

 Caucasia, where it forms an important article of food ; in 

 Europe its culture is less important, and it is mostly 

 used for food for fowls. 



The sixteen varieties may be divided into two main 

 groups : large Millet, with long, usually irregular, nod- 

 ding false spikes, and " Mohar" (Hungarian), with short, 

 regular, upright spikes. The culture of Setaria Italica 

 Beauv. has its origin in prehistoric times. As early 

 as 2700 B.C., Hungarian grass formed one of the main 

 cereals of the Chinese ; it was sown in early spring by 

 the princes of the royal house themselves, just as the 

 emperor sowed rice with his own hand. Its culture 

 extends back to an early date also in Egypt, and in the 

 Lake Dwellings of the stone age it is found in such 

 quantities that it must be regarded as the main bread- 

 supply of the prehistoric peoples. Traces of its very 

 ancient culture are also found in other places (Hungary, 

 Upper Italy, etc.). Ixophorus Schlechtd. is a Setaria 

 with only one bristle. 



68. (13) Cenchrus L. (Fig. 30). Spikelets narrow, each 

 one, 1 or as many as two to three together, enclosed by an 

 involucre. The involucres in a spike or raceme. First 

 empty glume small, all awnless ; stamens three ; styles 

 mostly united below. 



Species twelve, in the tropical and sub-tropical zones 

 of both hemispheres, and in America also in the temper- 

 ate zone. C. tribuloides L., bristles grown together into 

 a coriaceous and very spiny capsule. A troublesome 

 weed in North America. The involucre adheres very 

 strongly to the wool of sheep, from which it can scarcely 

 be removed, and in consequence materially injures its 

 value. It ought to be carefully rooted out in sheep dis- 

 tricts. It is also very troublesome to workmen who are 



