74 Kansas State Boabd of Agbiculttjbe. 



150. Meadow Fescue-gbass; Festuca pratensis, Huds. — This is much like the last; 

 it is, in fact, generally considered but a smaller variety of it. It has a simple or 

 close panicle, and smaller or narrow spikelets. Not found in abundance. 



151. Dbooping Fescue; Festuca nutans, Willd. — The culms are 2 to 4 feet high, 

 naked above. The leaves are broadly linear, taper-pointed, dark-green, and often 

 rather hairy. The panicle consists of several long and slender branches, which are 

 drooping when old. The spikelets are 3 to 5-flowered, 3 lines long, on rather long 

 pedicels. Not very abundant. 



152 Shobt's Fescue; Festuca Shor ii, Kunth. — This is generally considered a 

 variety of the last, differing mainly in being stouter, and the spikelets about five- 

 flowered. 



Bromus, L. — A large genus of coarse grasses with large spikelets: the native species are perennial. 

 The spikelets are 5 to many-flowered in a panicle, the rachis between the flowers glabrous. The outer 

 glumes are more or less unequal, shorter than the lowest flower, membranaceous, acute, awnless, or 

 short mucronate, 1 to 9-nerved. The flowering glumes are rounded or keeled, 5 to 9-nerved, acute or 

 awned from below the mostly 2-cleft apex; the palet (to which the grain adheres) is rather shorter 

 than the glumes, 2-keeled, the keels rigid and ciliate. 



153. Schbadeb's Gbass; Rescue Gbass; Bromus unioloides, Willd. — The culms are 

 about 3 feet high, bearing a panicle which is large, open and spreading. The large, 

 flattened spikelets are from 1 to 1? inches in length, 7 to 10 flowered. The flower- 

 ing glume extends into a fine point or short awn. This is considered a valuable 

 grass in the South, but here it is scarce and unimportant. 



154. Cheat or Chess ; Bromus secalinus, L. — This well-known pest, 2 to 3 feet 

 high, has a spreading panicle 4 to 6 inches long. The spikelets are usually 5 to 

 10-flowered. The flowering glume is keeled on the back and bears an awn of vari- 

 able length from below the point. It should not be allowed to ripen seed (it is an 

 annual) for it is propagated in the natural way — notwithstanding the old tradition 

 that "wheat changes into chess." (Plate No. 154.) 



155. Upright Chess; Bromus racemosus, L. — The culms are more slender than 

 in the preceding species. The panicle is erect, simple, rather narrow, contracted in 

 fruit (of the former it is spreading in fruit). The flowering glume bears an awn of 

 its own length. This also is a naturalized annual from Europe, but not so abundant. 



156. Soft Chess; Bromus mollis, L. — The panicle of this introduced species is 

 erect and closely contracted in fruit. The closely imbricated flowers, as well as the 

 leaves, <fec, are downy. Otherwise much like the foregoing, but still less abundant. 



157. Wild Chess; Bromus Kalmii, Gr. — The culms are slender, 1^ to 3 feet high, 

 with more or less hairy leaves and sheaths. The panicle is simple, small, 3 to 4 

 inches long. The spikelets are closely 7 to 12-flowered, and densely silky all over; 

 the awn is one-third the length of the flower. This species is perennial. Not very 

 abundant nor important. 



158. Ciliate Chess; Bromus ciliatu*, L. — This perennial grass is tall, 3 to 5 

 feet high, with a compound very loose panicle. The spikelets are 7 to 12 flowered. 

 The lower palet is tipped with an awn one-half to three-fourths its length. The 

 flowering glume has appressed silky hairs near the margin, but in the variety pur- 

 gans, Gr., it is clothed all over with short and fine appressed hairs. Not abundant 

 enough to be important. 



Lolium, L. — A small genus of perennial grasses with the spikelets several-flowered, solitary on 

 each joint of the continuous rachis of the simple spike; they are placed edgewise against the rachis, 

 the glume absent on the inner side, and the outer empty glume is shorter or longer than the spikelet. 

 The flowering glumes are rounded on the back, not keeled; the palet is shorter and 2-keeled. 



159. Rye Gbass; Italian Rye Gbass; Lolium perenne, L. — The culms are 2 to 3 

 feet high, very leafy, and bear a loose spike-like panicle G inches or more in length. 



