76 HOW TO STUDY THE GRASSES. 



needles mounted in handles. Common number five needles, 

 broken in two, and with forceps pushed blunt end first into the 

 pith of a one-year-old stem of European larch, are cheap, nice, 

 and durable. There should be some means of adjusting or vary- 

 ing the focal distance of the microscope. A small, sharp knife, 

 and a pair of fine-pointed forceps will be very useful. 



Take in hand a complete specimen of some grass, the name of 

 which is well known. We will suppose it is a sample of Timothy 

 (Phleum pratense, L). If dry, the flowers or top can be made 

 soft by soaking in water, if warm all the better. The roots are- 

 fibrous ; the stalk, culm, has solid, joints, nodes, from each of 

 which starts a leaf. Towards the, base of the stalk, the nodes 

 are close together, and one or more may be enlarged or swollen 

 into a simple tuber or corm, sometimes improperly spoken of as 

 the bulb. For some distance above each node, the sheath of the 

 leaf rolls like a scroll around the stem, one edge covering the 

 other closely, but usually not growing fast together. At the 

 upper end of the sheath, the blade of the leaf spreads away from 

 the culm. Just where the blade leaves the stem, at the throat 

 of the sheath, is a delicate ring, fringe, or often a thin, scarious 

 appendage. This is the ligule, the form of which is usually 

 constant in all the plants of one species. 



The leaves are alternate, one at each node, and two ranked, i. e., 

 there are two rows of leaves alternating with each other on 

 opposite sides of the stem. The leaves are parallel veined, and 

 may be stripped or torn lengthwise into narrow pieces. The 

 beginner may consult the chapter which treats of leaves. 



The top of the stem bears a cylindrical spike of spikelets, some 

 of which on close examination, it will be seen, have very short 

 branches. Select a small portion of the material from the spike 

 and place in a drop of water, while it is seen with the microscope. 

 With one needle hold a portion fast, and with the other or with 

 the forceps separate the parts of the specimen. 



