COMMON REED GRASS. 189 



cane. Its large seeds serve as food for the swarms of wild 

 ducks and geese of that region. When young and tender 

 cattle browse on its succulent foliage, but when it gets 

 large it becomes lough and woody. In England it is used 

 in thatching houses and farm buildings. A roof made of 

 this is said to be better than a slate roof, because it keeps 

 the cold out in winter and heat in summer. Such a roof, 

 it is said, will last eighty years if care is taken to 

 keep the moss cleared away. It is universally diffused, 

 both in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. 



