Utility of Grasses 



found the Indians cultivating corn with primitive implements — 

 hoes made of a sharpened stone or the shoulder blade of a moose 

 — and even then the seeds were described as " somewhat bigger 

 than small peason," while later the Pilgrims could boast the cultiva- 

 tion of varieties of which "the graine be big." Botanically, corn is 

 one of the most interesting of the grasses and is very unlike those 

 found in daily walks through the country. The stamens of corn 

 are in ornamental spikes which terminate the stems, while below, 

 on spikes which are borne in the axils of the leaves, are the fertile 

 flowers. These are densely crowded on a thickened rachis, 

 commonly known as the corn-cob, and are covered with husks 

 which are the sheaths of abortive leaves and which have the leaf- 

 blades more or less developed. The flowering scales and palets 

 are found in the chaff covering the cob, and the silken "tassels" 

 at the summit of each ear are elongated pistils. Aerial roots, 

 thrown from the lower nodes, serve as prop-roots, supporting the 

 stem, and imitating in a small way the growth of a few other 

 tropical plants. 



Sugar Cane is also a grass that has been brought from the 

 wilderness and has been made to pay the toll of usefulness which 

 man would fain exact of all vegetation. 



In warmer countries the great Bamboos, which are but grasses 

 of a larger growth, are utilized as shelter, clothing, and food. Of 

 these giant grasses houses are built which may be entirely furnished 

 with articles made of Bamboo, and the household, wearing jackets 

 and hats made of the same material, may gather tender shoots of 

 the plant for use as a vegetable. A small section of the stem forms 

 a cup, and a larger section a pail; paper and ropes are manufac- 

 tured from the plant; umbrellas and exquisite boxes are made of 

 the split internodes, and intricate appliances for spinning are 

 fashioned entirely of Bamboo. And these are but a few of the 

 uses that the several species of these grasses serve. Indeed, a 

 complete list of articles made of Bamboo would be a catalogue far 

 too long for insertion in these pages. 



Impenetrable "canebreaks" of the South are formed of two 

 grasses similar to the Bamboos, though smaller m growth. The 

 stout, jointed stems of the more southern species (the Large Cane), 

 are used for fishing rods and are made into canes and pipes. As 

 thatching the stems form a strong and serviceable shelter, and 

 when split are woven into baskets and mats. The Small Cane 



13 



