CHAPTER XI11. 



GRASSES AND OTHER FODDER PLANTS. 



381. As the production of domestic animals, and manure 

 depends on grasses, we consider these as next in importance. 

 The Belgians have a proverb which should be written in letters 

 of gold on every barn-door: &quot;Without dung, no crops; with 

 out cattle, no dung ; without grass, no cattle.&quot; 



382. The botanical family of Grasses ( Graminecf ,) is ex 

 tremely numerous; there are few parts of the world where 

 some species are not found growing wild; while in moderate 

 climates they form the great mass of vegetable production. In 

 Agriculture, they are usually divided into (a,) wild grasses, and 

 (bj cultivated or tame grasses. These latter (b,) are grasses 

 of peculiar value, which are regularly sown; while the former 

 (a,) spring up naturally where they are found, without sowing. 

 With very few exceptions, grasses do not change into varieties 

 by cultivation, like other plants, but remain the same as when 

 wild. In England, over thirty distinct species are employed 

 for different soils and purposes. In the United States, not 

 more than half a dozen, at the utmost, are usually sown, though 

 we have a great variety of wild species. Seventy-two have al 

 ready been detected in Michigan, without counting those that 

 have been introduced. The culture of hay, at present, is prin 

 cipally confined to the Eastern, Middle, and Western States, 

 from which the Southern markets are mainly supplied, in the 

 form of pressed packages or bales. 



The reason for using so nwny species of grasses as the English do. 



