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water, fed by perennial springs, as sweet as those of Casta- 

 lia, hasten down the mountain slopes and lazily meander 

 through the beautiful valleys. Being midway between the 

 lakes and the gulf, we live just where the warm, moist 

 southern winds encounter the condensing blasts of the 

 north, so that we are rarely the sufferers from droughts. 

 In fact, nature intended this State as a grazing region, while 

 man in his thirst for riches has made it what it is. 



Grass is wealth. As lowly and humble as it appears, it 

 comprises about one-sixth of all the vegetation of the 

 world. It nourishes more animals than all other food 

 combined, and furnishes all the elements for the growth of 

 animals. 



Grasses are divided into two general classes, natural and 

 artificial. The former includes those grasses with long, 

 simple, narrow leaves, with a prominent mid-rib or vein in 

 the center, and smaller ones running parallel to it, and at 

 the base the leaf divides and clasps the stem in such a way 

 that the stem seems to pass through it. As a rule the stem 

 is hollow and closed at the joints, though a few are solid 

 stemmed. The classification of grasses would be impossible 

 were their general appearance only considered. So great 

 are the changes produced by modes of culture, by soil and 

 climate, botanists, to arrive at the precise plant, therefore, 

 have adopted characteristics that undergo no change, such 

 as flowers, etc. From the rule of botanists in giving all 

 plants technical names, it would be a difficult matter to 

 recognize an old familiar friend under the new guise of a 

 generic term ; but we will endeavor, by giving also the 

 name in common use, to remove this difficulty and bring 

 them within the comprehension of any one who will take 

 pains to properly read the descriptions. 



Artificial grass includes all leguminous plants, such as 

 clover, peas, beans, etc., while cereals, such as maize, wheat, 

 oats, barley, rye, rice, sorghum, dhouro, chocolate- corn and 



