60 PLANT AFFINITY. 



supervision, and has been almost entirely carried out by Mr. 

 Miles Fuller and myself." 



From the foregoing statements, we conclude that grasses of the 

 better grazing districts, when grown in a dry season, make the 

 best feed, but usually less in quantity. Grasses grown in sunny 

 weather are better than those grown in cloudy weather or in the 

 shade. Woodland pastures are proverbially lacking in " heart " 

 or nourishment. Grasses grown on marshes or wet land are not 

 so nutritious as those grown on dry land. Grasses grown on rich 

 loam or clay, in fine condition, are more nutritious than those 

 grown on poor, thin soil. 



Further statements in regard to the chemistry of plant growth 

 will be found in the chapter on red clover. 



CHAPTER IV. 

 CLASSIFYING, NAMING. DESCRIBING, COLLECTING, STUDYING. 



Plant Affinity. In the plant kingdom there are certain 

 genera so closely related to each other that the botanist calls 

 them families or natural orders. The plants of a family resemble 

 each other in many respects. 



' ' That which really determines affinity is correspondence in 

 structure. It may be said that those plants are most nearly 

 related which correspond in the greatest number of points, and 

 those the most distantly in which we find the fewest points of 

 correspondence. The organs of vegetation are of very different 

 degrees of value in determining resemblance of structure. All 

 constant characters of whatever nature, require to be taken into 

 account in classifying plants according to their natural affinities. 

 Whatever points of structure are variable in the" same species, or 

 in species nearly allied to each other, are unessential and should 



