GRASSES. 1 1 



sequently fertilized by its own pollen. This is never the case with the 

 grasses dealt with in the present publication. The stamens are not 

 ready to shed their pollen until after the glumes have separated, and 

 there is thus always a chance for the pistil to be fertilized by pollen 

 from another flower. In many grasses such a cross-fertilization is 

 favoured by the fact that the stamens and pistil of one flower are 

 not ripe at the same time. 



Fruit: After fertilization the ovary of the grasses develops into 

 a fruit enclosing a single seed. Properly speaking, the grains of corn, 

 wheat and rye are fruits containing a seed, just as the hazel nut is 

 a fruit enclosing the seed. The hulled seed of Timothy is in reality 

 a fruit containing a single seed. In most grasses the fruit remains 

 enclosed in the glumes and the whole thing is termed seed. This is 

 the case, for instance, in Rye Grasses, Fescues, Blue Grasses, Red Top, 

 unhuUed Timothy, etc., the seed of which, properly speaking, is a 

 fruit enclosed in the glumes. The term "seed" being generally ap- 

 plied, it has been used in the description of the grasses to designate 

 the fruit enclosed by the glumes, as it is generally found in commerce. 



Agricultural Value: Practically any wild grass will serve, in 

 one stage or another, as food for stock. Even the grasses of 

 deserts, or other inhospitable localities, which are dry, woody and 

 unpalatable the greater part of the year, may, when young or when 

 refreshed by rain, furnish nutritious fodder or pasture. The value 

 of wild grasses, however, is generally considerably lower than that of 

 the cultivated sorts. The latter are better cared for, have readier 

 access to food, less of a struggle for existence, and so are apt to 

 grow more luxuriantly and yield a better quality of hay or fodder. 



When attempting to cultivate a wild grass, or when growing a 

 cultivated variety, one should consider its suitability to the climate 

 and soil and to the purpose for which it is grown. Different grasses 

 make different demands. All of course require sufficient food and 

 water, but what is enough for one may bring another to the point 

 of starvation. A water supply which produces luxuriant growth in 

 a certain grass may prove injurious to another, perhaps closely re- 

 lated, species. Thus Sheep's Fescue can make a comfortable living 

 where Meadow Fescue would suffer seriously. On the other hand, 

 Meadow Fescue and Orchard Grass would languish in wet and sour 

 soil, where Blue-joint Grass, Meadow Foxtail and Fowl Meadow 

 Grass would grow luxuriantly. It is therefore important to choose 

 varieties to suit the locality. 



Such grasses as Red Top, which have a creeping root system 

 and grow from early spring to late fall if the weather is favourable, 

 are especially fitted for pasture, as they stand tramping and provide 



