GRASSES OF TENNESSEE. 



l\\K'i' II. 



KY F. I.AMSON-SCRIBNER. 



INTRODUCTION. 



When Part I. of "The Grasses of Tennessee" (Bulletin No. 2, 

 Vol. v., of this Station) was presented as an introduction to a 

 second part, in which all the grasses of the State would be illus- 

 trated and described, it was designed that the second part should 

 be in some degree dependent upon or supplementary to the other, 

 the two together forming a complete volume. Because of the lapse 

 of time since the publication of Part I., and wishing to add to the 

 value and usefulness of the second part, an effort has been made 

 to make it complete in itself, and in doing this considerable mat- 

 ter has been drawn from Part I. The present bulletin, therefore, 

 may be called a handbook of the grasses of the State. Descriptions 

 of all the genera and species known to occur within the State are 

 given, and under the specific descriptions economic notes are added 

 whenever these are deemed of any value or general interest. A 

 good deal of care has been taken in drawing up the descriptions, 

 and if these appear to any one to be two scientific or too technical, 

 it must be remembered that the subject is grasses, and that 

 grasses have organs and parts of organs all of which have names. 

 These names as they appear in the descriptions mean something, 

 and their meaning is as readily learned by those actually interested 

 in the subject as the parts of a horse or cow are learned by those 

 especially interested in horses or cows. Briefly, in the prepara- 

 tion of the descriptions the "language of grasses" has been used. 

 Attempts to avoid technical or "hard words" often result in ob- 

 scuring the meaning of the author, and an undue simplicity of ex- 

 pression is very apt to be offensive by implying a lack of intelli- 

 gence on the part of the reader. Most of the botanical terms 

 employed in the work are explained in the glossary. The work is 



