GRAMINE^. 631 



vulgare; and Millet, Panieum miliaceum, pi, dockhan of Scripture : — 

 To the latter division belong pasture grasses, as Rye-grass (Lolium), 

 Timothy-grass (Phleiim), Meadow-grass (Poa), Cock's-foot-grass (Dac- 

 tylis), Sweet- Vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum), Fescue (Festuca), Dog's-tail- 

 grass {Oynosurus). The grains of many other grasses are used for food. 

 JZiiania aquatica supplies a kind of rice in Canada ; Setaria germanica 

 yields German millet. The grains of Sorghum vulgeure (Andropogon 

 Sorghum) have been sent to this country from India under the name 

 • of Durra. Phalaris canariensis is the source of the common Canary 

 seed. The cereal grains have been so extensively distributed by 

 man, that all traces of their native country are lost. They seem to 

 be in many instances examples of permanent varieties or races kept 

 up by cultivation. Their grain or caryopsis contains a large amount 

 of starch (figs. 35, 36) and gluten. The grasses used for fodder in 

 some parts of the world attain a large size, such as Anthistiria 

 austrdlis, the Kangaroo-grass of Australia, called also Satin-grass ; 

 Tripsacum dactyloides, the Gamargrass of Mexico ; Oynsrium argen- 

 teum, the Pampas-grass of the Cordilleras, and Festuca flabelloides 

 {Dactylis cmspitosa), the Tussac-grass of the Falkland Islands. Some 

 of these are five or six feet in height, and are, nevertheless, sufficiently 

 delicate to be used for the food of animals. The Tussac has been 

 introduced into this country, and it thrives well in peaty soils within 

 the influence of the sea spray. Elymus condensatus is the Bunch- 

 grass of California, an excellent early fodder plant in Britain. The 

 rhizome of Triticum repens, Couch-grass or Quitch-grass, T. juneeum, 

 and Gynodon Dactylon, are used for mucous discharges from the bladder. 

 Sugar is a valuable product obtained from many grasses. It 

 has been procured in Italy from Sorghwm saocharatum, sweet Sorgho ; 

 in_ China, from Saccharum sinense; in Brazil, from Oynerium saccha- 

 roides ; in the West Indies, from Saecharvmh molctceam ; and in many 

 other parts of the world, from S. officinwrum. The last two are com- 

 monly known as Sugar-cane, and they are generally considered as 

 varieties of a single species, Saccharum officinarum, which is now 

 widely spread over various parts of the world, and has a stem from 6 to 

 12 feet high. Six or eight pounds of the saccharine juice of the plant 

 yield one pound of raw sugar. The import of unrefined sugar into 

 Great Britain in 1874 amounted to nearly 14 millions of cwts. 

 Sugar is imported from British West Indies and Guiana, Mauritius, 

 British East Indies, Java and Philippine Islands, Cuba, Porto-Eico, 

 and Brazil, etc. 



Some grasses have a very agreeable fragrance. This has been re- 

 marked in Anthoxanthum odoratum, which is hence called sweet-scented 

 vernal grass, and is said to impart the odour to new-made hay. This 

 odour has been referred to the presence of benzoic acid. A fragrant 

 oil is procured from some species of Andropogon, as A. citratus, Lemon- 



