Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-09-01
GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES.

The CITIZEN acknowledges the receip from the department of agriculture, report on "the condition of crops, whicl also discusses American competition and foreign rates of transportation com Dsnirs; observations of the soil and r-,lucts of Florida," and "the grasses ot the United States"
 The last named report Is one that a large number of the people of Arizona would take a great interest ID, # it was m such form that an ordinarily well tllca-ed .though not in the dead huguagesl man could read and under stand. but # is not. We cite as an ex- ample the following Pharus Linn: Flowers monacious in a terminal pan icls. Spikelets in pairs. unequal. tie smaller one pediceled, its towering gimme membraraceous and with 6 stani- ens: tbe larger one sessile, its towering rlume iudurated and involving the membrauous pallet and the pistil; empty glum-s two, nearly equal, membrar- ace0us.
 This ls d fair example from Dr. George v.--v, Grasses Of the United States. and i- i1,t as intelligible to the ordinary human baiag as any that precede or fol- laut The report is worthless to the people, and why the Department of Agri- culture print and send out such stuff it is hard to tell. It can be of no earthly --s Co anyone except the professional h--ari-t, and as there are but a few dozen ot them in the United States. We wa1li suggest that hereafter Dr. Vasey have 5lst euough printed to supply that number with his reports, and save the fzreu-- of printing and sending other t-r- or i've yy thousands to the people. W4 should not object to the Doctors -y.-. diagnosis of each spe- gr. ut grass m technical terms. and ID dead language. if after dOlng sa le vHuId tell us whether the species he had described was swamp grass. or sacaton, gramma or bunch grass. Tle doctor, in hIs introductory, c-svs.y informs us that: It is impossi- a..to describe and classify so large a | lumbr- aT objects except by the use of l technical words" and that "any person l ,.esIur clear and accurate knowledge O. ,do subject wlll find 1t necessary to l tzome acquainted with the technical laa-ua e which IS universally employed l - science.
 S1el explanation by the distinguished | Dr. Tasey is as useless as the balance of h. work, as he would be a very dull l u4l indeed wno could not discover the utter u--lessuess at the report, without 1 t1s qualifications referred to, before be hal r-al the first page through.
 s-BTEmC 7.-ESFEsTUCEE. F.ga-5as glumes five 10 many nerved, | t5e uFpeg oIe empty, style short, | -5euss plumose; leaves generally | r.--5T. without transverse veins.
 Gsus-.. I P.europo1on; ? Uniola; 3. | D.srrl1s, 4 Dactylis; ,. Briza; G.
 P-. E. Graphephorum; g. Glyceria;
 % Fa--uca: a. B-ouus.
 W.s:llly quote the above "subtrlbe --E1'sstuce:e,' which is self-ezplana- l tsg, lis safe 70 say that it, or tbey(g -sy bs .uuul iu the United States, and r.- oue at our most valuable grasses, otherwise the doctor would not have -a-eto the trouble of describing It in Li- report Is it not about time a stop should be put to such nonsenser The U-.t-l States is made up of English s7ea.uE people, and If plain English words cannot be found to describe our g-a-s-z. 1T Is high time the language -l1lli u- amended or extended, and made sufficiently plain that common people may read about common things. Il5 Department of Agriculture has DO money 70 throw away on such men ss . Dr. Y--ey and his technical verbiaGe.