THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



691 



rank's high as a paslure prass in soils adapted to 

 it ; such as peat bogs and lands that are deep and 

 moist. At the souih, I suspect that it ia rare. 

 I have never met with it, except a small patch on 

 the Cape Fear, wliere it was apparently intro- 

 duced 



A. 9. Aristida oligantha. 10. A. gracilis. 11. 

 dichotoma. Hail's nest grass, hen gra^s, pover- 

 ty grass, of Virginia. These three species are 



ESSAY TOWARDS THE Er..UCIDATION OF THE 

 POPULAR SYNONYiMY OF THE GRASSES. 



For the Partners' Register. 

 The following notes are all that I can at pre- 

 sent oH'er towards liilfilling the promise, made 

 last spring, of doing what I could to clear up the 

 confusion in the popular names of grasses. I rx- 

 recled considerable assistance from those inime- _ 



diately interested in the suhject ; but, wiih the evidently conlbunded under the above popular 

 exception of Mr. T. S. Pleasants, of Bellona 'lames. Mr. T. S. Pleasants sent them all to me 

 Arsenal, Virginia, I have not received the least ' as poverty grass, though he at last fixed upon 

 aid from that class. I have been obliged there- , No. 9asihetrue one. Mr. Ruffin did not dis- 

 fore to depend principally upon books (br informa- hnguish Nos. 10 and 11, as mdeed none but a 

 tion, which will be serviceable as far as it goes, botanist would be likely to do, so that nothmg re- 

 yet must be far from accomplishing all that is mains but to apply these popular names to the 

 desired. I here repeat what I have before urged, ^hree species. Mr. Pleasants in a letter says of 

 that if aariculturisis wish to see this project ac \ poverty grass, by which he intends No. 9 particu- 

 complished, they must themselves furnish the I'^rly, that ii covers impoverished fields in the lat- 

 principal materia! ; for botanist are too few, and j 'er part of summer and forms not bad autumnal 

 too little acquainted with the popular names of Pf^e^nres.'' Vide Farmers' Register, ix. 613. 

 plants in different sections of ihe country, to he 12. Aristida stricta. ffire grass ot North 

 able to furnish much information upon this sub- ! Carolina. This grrass forms tussocks in the pine 

 jpct. In the following notes I have drawn preity | barrens of the southernstates, putting up numerous 

 largely from a similar article by Dr. Darlington, 1 straight and stiH convolute leaves, 12 to 18 inches 



in the Farmers' Cabinet of October last. 



It must be by essays of this sort at Ihe outset, 

 that the materials are to be gathered for the com- 

 pilation o( a Farmers' Botany, if such a thin? is 

 ever to be prepared. I judge from some articles 

 in this publication and elsewhere, that such a 

 work was expected from me. But this is more 

 than I dreamed of in the original offer of aid. F 

 am willing however to render such assistance as 

 I can towards it, provided a sufficient amount of 

 popular information can be gathered for making 

 such a work what it ought to be. Without this, 

 it would be but an ordinary Fiori. A publication 

 of this sort, however, should not be attempted be- 

 fore the completion of the N. A. Flora of Torrey 

 and Gray, which should be adopted as a standard 

 for the botanical nomenclature. 



Let the subject be kept in agitation for a while, 

 and we shall see what can be done towards ac- 

 complishing the work. If the editors of agricul- 

 cultural papers in all parts of the country would 

 take an active part in the measure, it would not 

 be long ere it hastened to a conclusion. 



1. Agrostis vulgaris. Herds grass of Pennsyl- 

 vania, and probably of all the states south ofthat. 

 Hed top of New England. Fine bent grass of 

 Great Britain. 



2. Andropogon scoparius. .3. A. Virginicus. 

 4. A. argenteus. 5. A. tehastachyu^. 6. A. 

 macromus. These five species of Andropocron 

 are indiscriminately called sedge, broom sedge, and 

 broom grass, in North Carolina. They are com- 

 mon in old fields and are indicative of poor sod. 



7. Andropogon nutans. fVood grass. Indian 

 grass, of Pennsylvania. Beard grass of Massa- 

 chusetts. Common in neglected fields, and along 

 the margins of woods. A grass of no value, and 

 not troublesome enough in this section of country 

 to have received a name. 



8. Anthoxanthum odoratum. Sweet-scented 

 vernal grass. A very fragrant gras?, and seems 

 (0 be known by the above name wherever it is 

 cultivated. It is rather common at the north, but 

 Darlington says it is not much esteemed by the 

 farmers. Sir H. Davy represents it as not afford- 

 ing sufficient produce lor hay, but says that it 



ong, and furnishing one of the peculiar features! 

 of that sandy region. This grass is quite in 

 keeping with the soil it inhabits, lor it is about as 

 arid as the sand from which it grows. After the 

 woods are burned over in the spring, which ap- 

 pears to be the common practice in the lower 

 part of the Carolinas, (to the great annoyance of 

 turpentine makers and fox hunters, as well as to 

 the destruction of much valuable timber,) the 

 young lender shoots are grazed by cattle, as I 

 suppose because they can then find nothing else. 



13. Aristida purpurascens. Generally confound- 

 ed with No. 12, with which it grows, but is readi- 

 ly distinguished from that by its flat leaf; 



14. Arundinaria macrosperma. Heed. Too 

 well known throughout the southern states to re- 

 quire further notice. 



15. Arrhenatherum avenaceum, Beauv. Ave- 

 na elaiior, Linn. Oat grass, grass of the jfndes, 

 of Pennsylvania. Egyptian oats, ol North Caro- 

 lina. Tall oat grass, and tiller oat grass, of Great 

 Britain. This has been cultivated in this slate to 

 a little extent, and is esteemed by some, while 

 others disregard it. I have examined a small 

 field of it this month, (November,) which has 

 been twice cut the past season and still exhibits a 

 luxuriant verdure. Dr. Darlington says it is not 

 highly esteemed in Pennsylvania. 



16. Biomus secalinus. Known throughout 

 the country as cheat or chess. 



17. Calamagrostis coarclata. fVild oats. So 

 called in the mountains of North Carolina. Not 

 a common grass, and seldom noticed. 



18. Cenchrus tribuloides. iSand s;Dur, of North 

 Carolina. Bur grass, hedgehog grass ol' Pennsyl- 

 vania. Common along the whole coast south of 

 New York, and a great pest in cultivated grounds. 

 It propagates rapidly by taking root at Ihe joints 

 of the stem. I's flowers are a small spiny bur 

 about the size of a pea, and are not easily over- 

 looked or (iirgotten by the barefooted, Not found 

 far from the sea-coast. 



19. C^yiiodon dactylon. fJ^ire grass of Vir- 

 ginia. Cane grass on the Cape Fear. Bermuda 

 grass of Mississippi, Georgia and South Caro- 

 lina. Soiueiitjies called Cumberland grass^ ac- 



