INTRODUCTION. 



No apology is needed for a work describing the grasses of 

 Iowa. The importance of Iowa as an agricultural state depends 

 largely on the value of products derived from members of the 

 grass family, such as corn, oats, blue grass, wheat, etc. Iowa's 

 wealth depends largely on the produce derived from the grasses 

 and cereals. 



The work on grasses may be divided into two parts: First, 

 economic considerations on cereals and grasses, especially 

 with reference to general structure, the seed and its germina- 

 tion and vitality, the cereal production of the state as com- 

 pared with other parts of the world, climatology of some of 

 our most important cereals, grasses in medicines, pastures and 

 meadows of Iowa, their chemical composition, the fungus dis- 

 eases of our cereals and grasses, and means of prevention. It 

 is only in a few instances that we are provided with precise 

 knowledge of the changes that occur in grasses during their 

 development. This is an important subject and can only be 

 solved through a series of continued investigations. 



So far as possible the grasses have all been figured. One- 

 third have been drawn expressly for this Work by Miss Char- 

 lotte M. King. Some have been photographed by Dr. S. W. 

 Beyer. F, D. Coburn and Mr. Charles N. Page also supplied 

 a few cuts, and we are especially indebted to the United States 

 Department of Agriculture. The descriptive part is supplied 

 mostly by F. Lamson-Scribner. He has also kindly examined 

 all the grasses in the coUtction and those of the State Uni- 

 versity of Iowa. The economic, ecological notes and accounts 

 of diseases, as well as the original chemical matter, should be 

 attributed to the senior authors. Thanks are due to the fol- 

 lowing persons who have contributed specimens: Mr. E. W. 

 D. Holway, Decorah, Iowa; Prof. P. H. Rolfs, Clemson Col- 

 lege, S. C; Prof. H. W. Norris, Grinnell, Iowa; Prof. B. Pink, 

 Fayette; Prof. A. S. Hitchcock, Manhattan, Kan.; Dr. M. Rey- 

 nolds, Minneapolis, Minn.; F. C. Stewart, Geneva, N. Y. ; F. 



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