Rushes and Sedges 197 



matter that they are seldom eaten by grazing ani- 

 mals. Indeed, in the whole great family of two 

 thousand species there are but three useful mem- 

 bers. 



The chufa, a native of the Mediterranean shores, 

 is sometimes cultivated for the sake of its small, 

 sweet tubers. 



Another sedge, the Cyperus textilus, is used in 

 India for making ropes and mats. It is nearly re- 

 lated to the most useful and celebrated of all the 

 sedges the Cyperus papyrus, or paper-reed of old 

 Egypt. The Hebrew name for this plant occurs 

 in the Old Testament account of the hiding of the 

 infant Moses, and has been rendered "Bull-rush" 

 in the English Bible. 



This sedge provided cheap and convenient writ- 

 ing material for the ancient world. " Papyrus," 

 says an excellent authority, "was made of the 

 inner cuticle of the stalk, which was separated into 

 thin strips. These were laid side by side, with 

 another layer of strips crossing them at right 

 angles. The two layers, thus prepared, were 

 soaked in water, then pressed together to make 

 them adhere, and dried. For books the papyrus 

 was formed into rolls, by cementing together a 

 number of sheets." 



