THE GRASSES OF MAINE. 63 



would leave Bine Grass and Timothy at any time to eat it. The 

 seeds are said to be excellent for turkeys and chickens. Dr. Vasey 

 says this grass is as nutritious as Hungarian Grass, but not as pro- 

 ductive. An analysis of this grass made at the Department of 

 Agriculture gave ash 7.27, fat 2.66, nitrogen-free extract, 55.28, 

 crude fiber 25.75, albuminoids 9.04. 



78. SETARIA VIRIDIS, Beauvois. 

 Se-ta'-ri-a vir'-i-dis. 



Common Names. Green Foxtail, Bottle Grass. 



Annual. Stems from two to three feet high, erect, mostly simple : 

 spike cylindrical, green, from two to three inches long ; bristles from 

 four to ten arising from the base of each spikelet. Cultivated fields. 

 Flowers in August. The seeds are eaten by poultry and birds. 



79. SETARIA ITALICA, Kunth. 



Se-ta'-ri-a I-tat-i-ca. 



PLATE XL. 



Common Names. Hungarian Grass, Italian Millet, German 

 Millet. 



Annual. Stems erect, stout, from two to four feet high, with 

 numerous long and broad leaves and a terminal, spike-like, nodding 

 panicle, from four to six inches long and often an inch or more in 

 diameter. The panicle is composed of a great number of small, 

 closely crowded branches, each of which consists of a small group 

 of several clusters of spikelets at the base of which arise two 

 or three bristles, sometimes long and sometimes short. This varia- 

 ble species has been considered, until recently, to comprise more 

 than one species, but botanists now regard the different forms as 

 only varieties of one species. Jt owes its value as a fodder plant 

 to the abundance of its foliage and to the large amount of seed pro- 

 duced. Prof. Phares states that for forage it should be cut as soon 

 as it blooms, when, of course, it is worth nothing for seed, but is 

 most valuable for forage and exhausts the land much less. If left 

 for the seed to mature they are very abundant and rich feed, but 

 the. stems are worthless, while the soil is more damaged. Specimens 



