INTRODUCTION. lU 



Islands, at an elevation of seven thousand and forty-six feet above 

 the level of the sea. 



Trisetum subspicatum is a plant having an extraordinary 

 geographic range ; Dr. Hooker mentions it as being found over 

 the Peruvian Andes and Eocky Mountains, extending into the 

 Arctic regions to Melville Islands, (the winter quarters of Capt. 

 Sir Edward Parry in one of his Arctic expeditions.) Found 

 also in Iceland, Greenland, Kamtschatka, and on the Alpsj then 

 again met with on Campbell's Island, which is south of New 

 Zealand, thus extending over 1%T of latitude — from 54° south 

 latitude to 72° 50' north. 



Amongst useful and ornamental grasses may be mentioned 

 the Bamboo. Then again an aromatic grass oil is extracted from 

 the seed of the Andropogon schwnanthus, or Calamus aromaticus, 

 and the Lemon grass oil from another species of the same genus : 

 these are Indian grasses. This latter species gives out an odour 

 very similar to that of the Lemon-scented Verbena, (Aloysia 

 citriodora,) a plant introduced seventy years ago from Chili, and 

 now to be met with in almost every garden. It must not be 

 forgotten that the bread we eat is derived from a grass, fTriticum 

 vulgare,) and the beer we drink from another grass, fHordeum 

 distichum.J We feed our horses with oats, ( Avena sativa,) 

 our cattle with rye, fSecale cereale,) sweet-scented vernal grass, 

 ( Anihoxanthum odoratum,) and many others. 



The corn of India, commonly known as maize, is the Zea 

 mats, a tropical grass, which was introduced into England as 

 early as 1563; and the Curagua, fZea Curagua,) another species 

 inhabiting Chili, brought over to this country in 1824. 



Again, our sugar is a grass, derived from the sugar-cane of 

 India, {Saccharum officinarum,) our rice, {Oryza sativa,) another, 

 and millet a third. Then the Guadua angustifolia, (Bambusa 

 Guadua,) generates in its interior large quantities of the sili- 

 ceous Tabaschia, (cow-milk,) much esteemed by the natives as 

 a pleasant beverage. 



