LESSON XV 

 PLANTS GROWN ON THE FARM 



Useful plants. - - There are many kinds of plants 

 useful to man. Most of the important crop plants 

 are grown for food. Others are grown for the fibers 

 which they yield. Trees are raised mainly for fuel 

 and lumber. Some plants are grown for drugs and 

 others for their beauty. 



Grasses. Most of the general farm crop plants 

 belong to the grass family. The plants of this family, 

 like wheat and oats, whose seeds are used for food, 

 are called cereals. The seeds or grain of these plants are 

 also called cereals. All of the cereals are grasses except 

 buckwheat, which belongs to another family of flower- 

 ing plants ; but buckwheat is called a cereal because 

 its seeds are used in making flour. Many of the 

 grasses with fine leaves and stems are used for hay and 

 pasture crops. The largest grasses used as crops in 

 America are corn, sugar cane, and sorghum. The 

 largest grass in the world is the bamboo, which is 

 used for many purposes. Many important plants 

 belong to the legume or pea family. Clover, alfalfa, 

 peas, and beans are well-known legumes. 



Food plants. Corn, wheat, rice, barley, rye, oats, 

 and buckwheat are crops whose seeds or grains are 



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