PART I. 



DOMESTICATED GRASSES. 



Between the Mississippi River and Atlantic ocean there are known 

 to exist about 295 species of grasses indigenous to the soil. Between the 

 Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains there are 190 species, 60 

 species belonging to that region exclusively. This makes a total of 355 

 species of grasses from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic ocean. There 

 are 250 that have been found between the Pacific ocean and the Rocky 

 Mountains, many of which are common to the other sections of country. 

 It may, with confidence, be said that there are not less than 350 grasses 

 indigenous to the United States. Nearly one-half of these are found 

 within the State of Tennessee. Many have been introduced and are cul- 

 tivated in every part of the state, and some of the indigenous grasses also 

 have been domesticated. A considerable percentage of them are valuable 

 for making pastures and meadows but others are unmitigated pests and 

 worthless for any purpose whatever. 



Out of all this number of grasses, 29 have been selected for discussion 

 in detail in this bulletin. The grasses selected have, in nearly every 

 instance, been tested not only in the various experiment stations in the 

 south and especially at our Experiment Station at Knoxville, but they 

 have been successfully grown by the farmers of the state. A few grasses 

 have been mentioned, not for the purpose of recommending them for 



cultivation, but to warn the farmers 

 of the state against them. 



TIMOTHY (Phleum praiense.} 



(Meadow Grass.) 

 Named for Timothy Hansen, of 

 North Carolina, who introduced it 

 into this country from England in 

 1720. Timothy has become the most 

 popular, the best known and the most 

 profitable hay grass in the United 

 States. This popularity is due not 

 altogether to its superiority in nu- 

 tritive elements, but largely also to 

 the fact that it makes the standard 

 hay of commerce, with which all 

 other kinds are compared. It is sold 

 in all the markets of the country, 

 and its price is quoted in all the 

 leading commercial journals. In 

 buying this hay therefore, one 

 knows precisely what he is paying 

 for. He knows how much to feed 



Timothy Phleum pratense. 



1. The base of plant. 2. Inflorescence. 

 3. Empty glumes. 4. Floret. 



