ORNAMENTAL GRASSES. 
Those who grow Everlastings for winter decoration will need a few of the Grasses to work 
up with them. If the grasses would retain their color, as do the flowers, it would be a great 
blessing, but they lose, even when dried wdth care in the shade, most of 
their green color. In Europe, the Grasses are grown extensively and 
dyed of various colors, and in this condition we import them, and many 
varieties are really elegant, especially the Stipa pennata. Even without 
this coloring they will be found veiy useful. Some persons are quite ingen- 
ious in dyeing the Grasses, and make them look very pretty with a little 
coloring matter. We know that this coloring of flowers and grasses is 
not exactly in good taste, as a rule, but we are almost ready to say, 
anything to enliven winter, and these Grasses do look pretty when worked 
up judiciously — not lavishly — with winter wreaths. Cut about the time 
AGRosTis NEBULosA. of flowcriug, tlc Up in little bunches and 
dry in the shade. Those that flower the second year, like the 
Stipa and Bromus, must be marked in some way or they will 
be destroyed for weeds, as they look so much like common grass. 
We have lost a good many crops for the want of this caution. 
They are perfectly hardy, and will endure the winter just as well 
as any of our wild grasses. The Agrostis nebulosa is a very fine 
grass, indeed, so very fine and small 
that we can hardly represent it in 
an engraving. Briza maxima is 
the well known shaking grass, i-eally one of the most valuable of 
our grasses. There are several varieties of Briza, all but maxima 
quite small. Erianthus Ravennce is a perennial grass, perfectly 
hardy, and the best large grass we know of for a northern climate 
— much better than Pampas Grass, which it resembles. The 
flower stems are ten feet in height. Stipa pennata is the beautiful 
Feather Grass, really the most graceful and beautiful of all the 
small grasses. We show it as grow- 
ing, just as the plant begins to 
flower, and also a bunch of the per- 
fected grass, as often used for win- 
ter ornament. We have named 
only a few of the best varieties, but 
a full list of all desirable kinds will be found in our regular seed 
list of varieties. Many will be surprised that we have not in this 
page spoken of the beautiful Pam- 
BRIZA MAXIMA. 
ERIANTHUS RAVENNA. 
pas Grass, which perhaps has no 
rival where the winters are not veiy 
severe, but in the Northern and 
Middle States it suffers sorely in 
the winters. Almost every one, 
also, has some favorite variety, and 
almost any of the grasses, if gath- 
ered at the proper time and well 
cured, are useful and handsome in , 
the winter. Cut the grasses be- 
fore the flowers open, tie up in 
little bunches, and hang them in the shade. When sufficiently dry, pack them away out of the 
dust. Somewhat of a variety is secured by cutting grass at different stages of growth. 
STIPA PENNATA. 
