330 



SCIJENCE. 



[Vol,. II., No. 31. 



with the man who shall cause two blades of grass to 

 grow where only one grew before. 



The U. S. commission on fish and fisheries is an 

 example of good scientific work, with prospects of 

 early returns in the form of an increase in knowledge 

 and a large increase in the supply of fish. A some- 

 what similar work, conducted by Prof. S. A. Forbes 

 of Illinois, is in progress, where the object of the 

 survey is to inquire into the food of birds and the food 

 of fishes. 



Some valuable scientific work of an economic 

 nature has been done in connection with the tenth 

 census, conspicuous among which is that performed 

 by Prof. C. S. Sargent, in the study of forestry. 



Botanical explorers in every land have repeatedly 

 and lil)erally contributed plants of economic impor- 

 tance to the horticulturist, — a few new fruits, but 

 more especially flowers and foliage-plants. An occa- 

 sional contribution has been made to agriculture in 

 the form of plants which promised to be of value for 

 seeds or forage, or for some other purpose. 



I have often been surprised that more attempts had 

 not been made to secure the introduction of some 

 new foreign grasses, and test them to ascertain their 

 value for meadows and pastures. To be sure, grasses 

 from western Europe have been tried ; but we need 

 others. 



More than twelve years ago this idea appeared in 

 my address on grasses, as given before the North- 

 western dairymen's association, where the advice was 

 given to get other grasses from Japan, China, central 

 Asia, and the dryer portions of South America. The 

 cereals and pasture-grasses, the world over, are of 

 more value to man and his domestic animals than all 

 other plants taken together; yet the list of pasture- 

 grasses now generally sown in any state can be 

 counted on the fingers of one hand. In Great Brit- 

 ain, where much attention has been given to the 

 subject, twenty-five or thirty species are much cul- 

 tivated. It is hard, to give all the reasons why so 

 few grasses are employed in this country; but the 

 fact remains, that few are; cultivated. The grass fam- 

 ily is a large one, containing from thirty-one hundred 

 to four thousand or more species. They are widely 

 distributed in nearly all parts of the habitable globe, 

 in every soil, in society with others, and alone. This 

 does not convey an adequate idea of their value in 

 unwooded regions, because the number of individ- 

 uals of several of them is exceedingly large. 



I have recently found the following in the Ameri- 

 can agriculturist for 1S5S, a statement probably made 

 by Dr. Thiirber. "A dozen sorts, probably, cover 

 nineteen-twentieths of all the cultivated meadow- 

 laud from Maine to Texas. It can hardly be sup- 

 posed that so limited a number meets, in the best 

 manner possible, all the wants of so great a variety 

 of soil and climate. This is one of the pressing 

 wants of our agriculture. Experimental farms are 

 needed where the valiie of new grasses and kindred 

 questions can be determined. A single new grass, 

 that would add but an extra yield of a hundi'ed pounds 

 to the acre, would add millions of dollars annually to 

 the productive wealth of the nation." 



Still farther hack, in ISn.S, the late I. A. Lapham 

 of Wisconsin expressed similar views; and still longer 

 ago, in 1843, forty years ago, in a prize-essay, J. J. 

 Thomas said, " The great deficiency in the number 

 and variety of our cultivated grasses has been long 

 felt by intelligent cultivators." In this subject, but 

 very slow progress has been made in forty years. 



In the extensive unwooded regions west of the Mis- 

 sissippi, the native grasses afford much pasture; but 

 many of them start very late in spring, and stop 

 growing early in autumn. They do not completely 

 occupy the ground : lliey are easily stamped out by the 

 hoofs of cattle and sheep. Some of the tame grasses 

 will thrive better, and afford much more pasture. 



In Science, vol. i. p. 186, of this year. Prof. N. S. 

 Shaler refers to this subject. He says. " It seems 

 possible to improve this pasture by the introduction 

 of other forage-plants indigenous to regions having 

 something like the same climate. The regions likely 

 to furnish plants calculated to flourish in a region of 

 low rainfall include a large part of tlie earth's sur- 

 face. Those that would succeed in Dakota are not 

 likely to do well in Texas or Arizona. For the north- 

 ern region, the uplands of northern Asia or Patagonia 

 are the most promising fields of search; while for the 

 middle and southern fields, the valley of the La 

 Plata, southern Africa, Australia, and the Algerian 

 district, may be looked to for suitable species." He 

 recommends three experiment-stations, — one in Ne- 

 braska, one in Texas, and one in Arizona. 



In this connection, when we remember that exotic 

 plants often thrive better than natives, we see what 

 a vast field lies ready for experimenting with the 

 grasses. 



Grasses look much alike to all who have not closely 

 studied them; so that farmers — in fact, none except 

 botanists are likely to attempt experiments. This is 

 a strong reason why the slate and national govern- 

 ments should assist agriculture in an undertaking 

 which seems so fruitful of good results within a short 

 time, at so trifling an expense. Expeditions are sent 

 at great expense to explore polar seas, with a view 

 to slightly extending our knowledge of a barren por- 

 tion of the earth's surface. Large sums are employed 

 to fit up in magnificent style, and send to the re- 

 motest parts of the earth, expeditions to spend a few 

 mintites in observing an eclipse or a transit of Venus. 

 Would the sending of competent persons around the 

 earth in search of better grasses be an undertaking 

 less praiseworthy? 



The men who control the Northern Pacific railway 

 were enterprising enough to see that a complete eco- 

 nomic survey of the adjacent territory wouhl help 

 the sale of their lands. Among other things, the 

 grasses will be carefully examined. 



For the past ten years the writer has been testing, 

 in a small way, some hundred and fifty species of 

 grasses. These, with few exceptions, are natives of 

 the eastern United States and western Europe. I am 

 fully convinced that further experiments, carefully 

 made on a larger scale in several portions of our 

 country, will be quite sure to result in great gain to 

 agriculture. 



