INTRODUCTION. 
There are nearly 4,000 distinet species of grasses distributed through 
out the world, and 1,400, or one-third of the entire number, are natives 
of North Ameriea. North of Mexico there are over 700 species, with 
more than 100 varieties. Six hundred and fifty species have been col- 
lected in Mexicoalone. These g lly useful, Some of 
them appear to be worthless, and à number are harmful to agriculture 
by possessing the character of weeds or by yielding injurious products. 
Some of them have a very restricted range and are found but rarely. A 
few are limited to the Arctic zone, or are confined to the highest moun- 
tain tops near the limits of perpetual snow; others grow only within 
the tropics, while still others are found in temperate climates. Some 
grow in the sands along the seacoasts, some flourish only in moist 
meadows, and others exist in the most arid deserts; some grow in the 
shadows of forests, others thrive only upon open plains; some are con- 
fined to soils heavily charged with lime, others make vigorous growth 
where practically no lime exists. It is with all the varied peculiarities 
of grasses—their individual characteristics, the soils and surroundings 
best suited to their growth, their productiveness and palatability—that 
one must become familiar in order to direct his efforts intelligently in 
the improvement of the forage and grazing resources of the country, 
the prime feature of interest that the farmer has in the subject. 
In the following pages an attempt is made to point out the more 
important grasses, briefly stating their characters and qualities. It 
may be helpful to present here a list of these, classified according to 
their uses: 
Narcotie or poisonous.—Lolium temulentum;* Panicum antidotale 
(India); Paspalum scrobiculatum (India); Stipa viridula. 
Medicine.—Agropyron repens; Andropogon iwarancusa; A. laniger; 
A. nardus; A. sehenanthus; A. squarrosus; Arundo donax; Coix 
lachryma; Dactyloctenium egyptiacum ; Eragrostis cynosuroides; Gyne- 
rium argenteum; Hilaria cenchroides; Panicum antidotale (India); 
Paspalum notatum; Thysanolena acarifera 
Distilled and malt liquors.—Avena sativa (Russia); Hordeum sati- 
vum; Oryza sativa; Saccharum officinarum; Secale cereale; Zea mays. 
*See Lolium temulentum under Lolium in body of work. 7 
