THE GRASS FAMILY. 95 



Si'fd usuiilly luliuito to tlu- })uru'uri) (frci' in Sjinrolmlus) testa 

 nu'inbriinous, cndoxpvrm fiirimiccous, or Hoiucwliat liorii y. Kinhnji> 

 lit the inner side of the cndosporni iit its base ; rohjh'ilon Hcutolliiti' ; 

 pJumnle well cloveloi)i'(l ; radklc tliick, ol)tiist', ondoriiizal (with 

 a slicath). 



Tlu' I'Hibryo tontaiiis one, (^ol'ti'U five as in \\iifat)or nioro 

 rudimentary rootH. 



Tlie peculiarities of the slyh'S, stigmas, lodicuk-s, and tlio 

 caryopsis are of great value for deseribing grasses, I)ut on uecount 

 of their snnill size ami the difVifulty of always finding grasses in 

 fiower, they liave not Iteen much eniidoyed for that purpose. 



It is not botanically eorreet to call any plants (/raises unless 

 they belong to this family {Gramincw). There are numy widely 

 different plants which in popular language hnvo the name *' grass" 

 attached to them, su(di as knot-grass, rib-grass, cotton-grass, 

 sea-grass, eel-grass, sedge-grass, the clovers, and others, but these 

 do not belong to the family here under consideration. 



The plants most likely to be mistaken for grasses are the 

 ('///irnict'di (sedges), of which there are two thousand species or 

 more. They are abundant on wet land, and often constitute h 

 large part of what is known as bog or marsh hay. Sedges have 

 three ranked leaves, or loaves spreading in three directions. 



The (Irnminem (grass family) contains Indian corn, wheat, oats, 

 barley, rye, rice, doura, sorghum, broom-corn, sugar-cane, millet, 

 Hungarian grass, bamboo, Timothy, red top, June grass, fowl 

 meadow grass, blue joint, buffalo grass, orchard grass, meadow 

 fox tail, the fescues, rye-grass, oat-grass, sweet vernal, Bermuda 

 grass, and many more which contribute to the food of domestic 

 tinimals. 



The grass family heads the list of food producing plants, which 

 are the foundation of all agriculture. The cereals, such aa sor- 

 ghum, rice, doura, nmize, wheat, rye, oats, barley, furnish a large 

 part of the food of the human race, while the meadow and 

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