4 GRASSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



give promise of sufficient value when cultivated; the 

 former of these number only 24 and the latter 3. This 

 fact seems incredible when it is called to mind that the 

 number of the species of grasses in the world runs into 

 the thousands and that in some of the individual states 

 it runs into the hundreds. It is well, probably, that 

 the number of the useful grasses is not greater in the 

 meantime, since the list would seem to include enough 

 to meet the present needs of the agriculturist. The 

 smaller the number of grasses that suffice to meet those 

 needs, the easier it is to acquire a knowledge of the 

 best methods of growing them. This does not imply, 

 however, that the necessities of the agi-iculturist will 

 not, in the future, call for an enlarged list of varieties. 

 When that time comes, the wisdom of the ■ agricultural 

 scientists will be found equal to the occasion, either 

 in evolving new varieties or in improving older ones. 

 In the meantime, the fact cannot be gainsaid, that, to 

 the practical agriculturist, knowledge pertaining to 

 the valuable grasses of sufficient value to justify grow- 

 ing them under cultivation, is of far greater account 

 than knowledge pertaining to grasses, the low value 

 of which, will not warrant such cultivation ; hence, the 

 restriction of the present discussion to the former. 



Grasses of Highest Value. — The very limited num- 

 ber of grasses, that are of highest economic value un- 

 der cultivation, is even more surprising than the num- 

 ber which may be profitably cultivated. But three va- 

 rieties of the entire number are worthy of a place in 

 the front rank. These are timothy (Phleum pratensc), 

 king of the hay grasses on the American conti- 



