t^RMMUS' REGlStER— DESCRtPTiON OF BROOM GRASS AND PINE. 745 



To X. Y. Z: I bc(T leave t.o extend the iriendly 

 hand of a Jellovv sutierer. Our feelings and bpin- 

 ions about "the fence tax" correspond perfectly. 

 But I would earnestly recommend to him and all 

 others entertaining similar opinionsj not to con- 

 sume any more time, paper and ink, in writing on 

 the subject, either in your paper, or elsewhere — at 

 least until they try every effort to procure a major- 

 ity of legislators, who not only understand the in- 

 terests of husbandry bettei'j but have a much 

 stronger regard for them, than has ever yet been 

 manifested by any heretofore choseui The truth 

 is, that these interests are iSilher not thought of at all, 

 or always postponed as matters of very subordi- 

 nate concern; and so they are likely to be forever, 

 unless w(5 cease to make a man's party politics the 

 first requisite for legislation. 



^he article on Merino sheep, places those ani- 

 hials in their proper rank. It is a great pity but 

 our countrymen in general had thought as the wri- 

 ter doesj before the mania on that subject seized 

 Ihem some twenty odd years ago. Many a poor 

 fellow would have his money by it, instead of 

 being gulled out of it to the tune of thousands upon 

 thdusands, by certain gendemen who were selling 

 off their rams almost astasias they could be de- 

 livered, at a thousand, twelve hundredj and fifleen 

 hundred dollars apiece ! J3ut -'to play the fool 

 Kometimes" seems to be a necessary evil, to na- 

 tions as well as to individuals. 



The above notices are sent by way of experi- 

 ment to ascertain how you and your various cor- 

 fespondents may like Such liberties being taken 

 with their communications, by one who is per- 

 fectly willing that still greater should be taken with 

 his. A single hint will suffice hereafter to silence 

 forever — at least in this way — your friend and con- 

 stant reader 



COMMENTAl'Oil. 



BOTANiCAL DESCRIPTION OF BROOM GRASSES, 

 AND OF PIjVES. 



To the fiditdf of tiie P^armcrs' Register. 



The genus yfndropogon includes those plants 

 ■vvhich, in the southern states are known under the 

 iiame of "Broom-grass^" The most common 

 epecies) according to Mr. Elliott^ is the ^'/. dissiti- 

 florus, (Mich.) ov slender spiked Andropogon — 

 spikes solitary, conjugate, as long as the sheaths; 

 flowers by pairs, the hermaphrodite awned; with 

 the awn straight, scabrous, caducous^ Stem erect, 

 three feet high, branching, with the branches ap- 

 pressed; leaves long, linear, scabrous; sheath con- 

 tracted and hairy at the throat. Spikes hairy — 

 grows in close soils — flowers in October. 



Another common species in our fields is the ji. 

 scoparius, of Michaux. Spikes simple, on pedun- 

 cles, by pairs, forming straight panicles; flowers 

 by pairs, the hermaphrodite sessile, avyned; the 

 neuter on a footstalk awned; the rachis ciliate. Stem 

 herbaceous, three feet high, very glabrous, slight- 

 ly compressed, furrowed on one side, tinged with 

 purple, grows in dry poor soils, very common. 



Ycfuf 'Svoods broom straw", may be j^. macrou- 

 ros of Michaux. Panicle clustered, spikes conju- 

 gate, clustered, stem three or four feet high, slight- 



VoL. H— 59 



ly compressed; flowers in clustered panicles, ter- 

 minal and lateral; but generally near the summit 

 of the stem — flowers in October; 



Cluster flnvered broom s;rass. A variety of 

 this has its leaves very glabrous and glaucous 

 — grows in damp soilsi 



jlndropogon argetiteus^ (white spiked broom 

 grass.) S|)ikes conjugate, longer than the sheath, 

 clothed with white, silvery hairs. Stem three feet 

 high, branching from the base, very glabrous, 

 tinged w'ith purple: grows in dry soils — flowere in 

 Octoljer. 



The species of the genus in this section, form a 

 very natural family and are not easily distinguish- 

 ed; they cover our poor pastures in the fall and 

 winter with their coarse, dry foliage, and are 

 known by the common name of broom grass. To- 

 gether wilh the Pinus taedd they usurp nearly all 

 the uncultivated "old fields" of the southern 

 states. 



The Pimts tatda grows naturally in ihe rich, 

 wet soils of the southern states, mingled with 

 other forest trees. It is the largest of the southern 

 pines, and its seeds being easily, and almost uni- 

 versally disseminated, over the country, it is the 

 first to spring in those lands which are thrown out 

 of cultivation, and hence has acquired pretty gene- 

 rally the name of "old field pine;" Leaves six to 

 ten inches long, by threes, cones shorter than the 

 leaves. 



Pinus variabilisi Leaves by pairs and by threes, 

 slender channelled; cones small, (two to three 

 inches long,) solitary; grows along the sea-coast 

 of Carolina and Georgia. 



P. rigidu. Leaves by threes, the sheaths short; 

 cones ovate^ scattered or clustered — flowers in 

 April. 



P.serotina, (pond pine.) Leaves by threes, 

 long, (six to eight inches;) cones three-fourths of 

 an inch, globular, frequently opposite in the small 

 branches; grows in damp soilS; 



Pinus palustris is the pitch pine of the southern 

 states, called "long leaf pine." Cones six to ten 

 inches long; leaves twelve inches long. The 

 south eastern part of Virginia is its northern limit. 

 This tree affords most of^ the turpentine of com- 

 merce. The name palustris, originally imposed 

 upon it, (by Linna;uSj) is a great misnomer, as lb 

 never grows in sivamps. The younger Michaux,- 

 in his splendid work on the "Forest Trees of 

 North America" has endeavored to correct this er- 

 ror, by calling it Pinus australis, (southern pine,) 

 but he has not been followed by other botanists, 

 who (as Cicero said of himself) "prefer to errwitlii 

 Plato, rather than think aright with others," 



Pinus inops. (Jersey pine.) Leaves short,- 

 by pairs; cones recurved, as long as the leaves.- It 

 is probable that this Species is fohhd with you. 



The "Encyclopaedia of Plants" is a useful book,; 

 especially to learners. From the index at the end 

 you tfiay find any genus which it contains. The 

 first column of figures on the left hand in the in- 

 dex, refers to the page. On that page you will 

 find one species (or more) of each genus figured. 

 The number attached to the figure refers fo the! 

 species above. Beneath, you find rerfiafks on each 

 genus, &c. The best work yet published on the 

 botany of the south, is the "Sketch of the Botany 

 of South Carolina and Georgia," by Stephen El- 

 liott, of Charleston. 



Dr. Forrey, of New York, cCntemplates pub-- 



