OR, PLAIN TEACHING. 



yellow with golden crops — the 

 rich gifts of an ever bountiful 

 God. To the natural power of 

 man, the strong arm of ma- 

 chinery, aided by the force of 

 steam, now lends its aid ; and 

 in many instances, instead of 

 teams of oxen or of horses, we 

 find the portable steam engine, 7, 

 driving the plough, or gathering 

 in the harvest.* 



The grasses, 1, which form the 

 vernal carpet on which we tread, 

 are of vast importance in the 

 economy of nature. Many of 

 them spring up and spread spon- 

 taneously, clothing the earth with 



2 



ing panicles, or inflorescent 

 heads, like 2, and the reed-like 

 canary grass, 3 ; others have 

 globular or oval panicles, as the 

 common canary grass, 5 ; some 

 hold their seeds in oat-like ears, 

 as 2, 4, while others like 3, and 

 the common bent grass, 6, bear 



* Stephens'* Book of the 1 aim. 



277 



verdure, and affording food to 

 various animals, which, in their 

 turn, become the sustenance of 

 larger creatures, and of man. 

 But, besides this major import- 

 ance, grasses are devoted to 

 various economic purposes in 

 different countries. They are 

 employed for making baskets, 

 mats, ropes, nets, hats ; for filling 

 mattresses, stuffing seats, thatching 

 houses, and for the production of 

 oil from the seeds, &c, &c. 



The various forms of growth 

 of grasses are highly interesting. 

 Some droop their ripened spread- 

 ing heads like the hairy wood 

 brown grass, 2 ; others stand 

 erect, like the turfy hair grass, 3 ; 

 some carry their seeds in spread- 



the small seeds in bunches upon 

 slender branches of their pa- 

 nicles. 



Some have their panicles long, 

 or spiked, like the sea mat-grass 

 7 ; some have them fingered, or 

 rayed, like the slender-spiked fin- 

 ger grass, 8 ; some have their 

 panicles diffused over a consi- 



1 



3 4 5 6 



699. 



