The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-03-18
Descriptive Artirles,
The Grass Family.

wheat Is grown Dy the FARMER Dut nov
many of us know that the wheat plant is a
grass, and that the wheat itself is the fruit
of that grass If not to all mankind GER
tainly to the Caucasian race, bread is the
most important article of food.
The most numerous and respectable
members of the great grass family are
those which bear the name of wheat. There
are an immense number of different sorts,
and we know them best as summer and
winter wheats To what part of the earth
these valuable grasses are indigenous will
probably never be known. There Is reason
to believe. however, that Tartary and Persia
are the native countries of wheat, oats and
rye Winter cold does not effect the wheat.
for that sown in spring escapes it. and that
sown in autumn is protected by covering
of snow Wheat keeps respectful dis
tanee of twenty degrees from the equator
but on the elevations in warm climates 1t Is
successfully grown. as on the elevations near
Quito. almost directly under the equator.
And on the north side Of the Himalaya
mountains wheat and barley flourish at an
altitude of thirteen thousand feet.
The rye branch of the grass family Is
very much like wheat in appearance and IN
habit. aud is extensively cultivated in TEN
perate and cold countries In Russia, Ger
many and many parts Of France, rye Is IN
great request aud one-third Of the popula-
ton Of Europe look To its help for daily
bread. In this country rye u also largely
cultivated and consumed.
Oats. a grass whose fruit Is not closely
SET in dense spikes. a are wheat and rye,
but in loose and open panicles, hourisheS as
far north as Norway and Sweden. In some
countries il forms an important article Of
diet. Scotch bone and muscle are largely
indebted 20 oatmeal purridge and milk, al
most the ouly food Of the sturdy Scotch
peasantry.
Barley l. extensively cultivated in Scot
land. and in the Orkney, Shetland and Fares
islands. In Western Lapland barley may
be found a. far as Cape North, the musi
northern part Of the continent Of Europe
II l. grown in Russia. on the shores of the
White Sea. beyond Archangel But over
a great part of Northern Siberia M harley
will 1--we and a the potato has found IL
way into such harreR districts only here
and therr. the country which is too faI
north for barley = too fsr north for
agriculture, There hehens, roOts, bark
aud few scanty fruits. offer alnlos, tbs
oaly plant-food 60 the noaaasiic population
Barley grows rapidly. and sson naiurS~, !.
inpatient Of baking san. and j. thus vel
adapted 70 the short samIners of extrcus
northern lafitudss
Bat what shall be said If ricc2 IL ~
gard b. had to the namsssr of people is sus
,sits. IL Is a more important grass than ever
wheat. Al India and all China sab~is'
upon It. Large quantities of nee al-s an
grown in Italy and SPain as weil as in So'lii
Carelina, who's rice is perhaps the b's.t IN
the world
Maize. or lndiAn-eoru, yielis sl~. perhaps
the largest fruit of allthe grasses A r'ssst
ing ear r. certainly very barge frHit fcl
a grass. The whole plant Is the arge-i
gr,aSs that grows in this country .--zt lcas
in the North In the South are veIy tai
and large grasses, gru~ing BY nsArshes and
river hanks, fuFIning the wellkRowR cane
brakes. from which are obtained the bong
fae fishing .r,,d.. Il alrnust perfect straight
ness, elegantly taPering 10 point, and pos
ssrscd II marvellous strength and elasticity
Sugar cane, about the sire af lndian-eoTn
and booking very much like IL, Also belonEp
"a the southern States. Its fruit, however
l. nothing but little seeds, with hong, white
siiky hairs Ia the cultivation Of the sugar
cane the plants are not allowed To- come {,
flower and fruit, bus are ca; down just a
they begin 10 blossoui. hocause then tbs
stalk j. fall of sugar la many lccalities
the proper time for cutting is indicated b,
the first knawing of the destructive rats
who know very wen when the cane ha.
reached Its highest degree Of sweetReSs
The stalks arc carried 90 the mil. Wher'
they arc passed between rollers that pres.
out the sEee, sap, which Is then boile,i ans
left "a stand To form sugar and syrup, IL
countries where the sugar-cane grows, Il i
universally eaten. Everybody sucks th'
juicy eane.--eyen the baby comes in for hi
share
Nearly all grasses have three stamens &
each little flower There Is hardly any
thing prettier to look at than the graeefu
forms Of the light, bending grass, as /
waves its trembling little heads OF Aower
in the breeze. when the threadhke stamen
with their golden knobs peep out from th'
rows of flowers and dangle in the sunlight
: G..........., -, E4st. l..k., -. 4, lai,aat,
purple color sometimes they are colder
yellow, which they usually are when tn,
pollen Is ripe and ready To be carried away
Then tap she grssss-stem lightly, and yO'
will see the fine dust floating off like littl
cloud.
You can always know grass from an,
other plant it has split sheaths. Thes
sheaths are thin. leafy tubes, inside Of whicl
Is the stem. The leaves grow out of tn,
top Of the sheaths, and are always narrow
ribbon-like, running TO point The sten
goes up through the sheaths. Some plant
of the sedge family, many of which grow
in marshes, are very much ike grasses
/ They, too. have sheaths around the stem
But their sheaths are never split on on
side they are not open. Usually, too, tn
stems of the true grasses are hollow, bu
the stems of the sedges are not hollow.
Leaves of grass are placed in two row
up and down the stem. Some stand ou
from the stem all on one side of it; other
all stand out ON the opposite side. A
grasses have their leaves in two rows, jus
in this way But if you will look at an
of the sedges, you viii find that their leave
are placed in three rows up and down tn
stem.
THE TALLEsT GRASS IN THE WORLD
As our travellers proceeded upstream
they were occasionally compelled to pas
through tracts covered with species Q
jungle-grass called ''dab-grass,' which nc
only reached above the heads of the tale:
of the party, but would have done so ha
they been giants Goliath or the Cyclop
might have either of them stood on tiptO
in field of this grass without being abl
to look over its tops
The botanist was curious enough
measure some stalks of this gigantic gras
and found them all fourteen feet in heigh
and as thick as mans finger near tn
roots OF course, no animal except girafl
could raise its head over the tops of sue
grass as this; but there are no giraffes