The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-11-26

THE GRASS FAMILY.

Madge came in from among the flow
ers, washed her hands, bathed her hot
face. and. as she heard the tea-bell,
walked 70 the dinir,g-room, saying: II
am 50 tired Of this horrid grass that l
promised grandma to keep out Of her
fiower-beds What grass good for, any
way? Now, mother. ! know yon are
going to tell me how my cow likes it.
and how like her milk, but that don't
alter the fact that grass is always i'm the
wrong place, and somebody has work
to get it ont Of the way ! believe the
world could do very well without the
grass family
II know a little girl who would be
the first to object if all the grass family
were banished." said Mrs. Winter.
TRY me and see. mother"
VERY we'll; shall we begin nowa"
YES, ma'am. as soon as l get my
bread and butter"
Here is the butter, but can not give
you the bread: it belongs to the large
family You want to banisll."
What. mother, this light bread?"
Certainly, wheat is one of the
grasses"
Well, then. I'll take a muffin"
Not now; the muffin is made of corn
meal, and corn is another member OF
the grass family"
Dear me, don't like brown bread,
but Ill have to fall back on that
NO, the brown bread is made Of rye
-four. ! have often heard you admire
the fields of rye-grass.
Madge's face fell. She was very
hungry after her scuflle with the grass
among the flowers. and now it seemed
the troublesome thing was about to get
the best of her, after all. With doubt.
full look she handed her plate for a
spoonful Of rice. But again her mother
refused; it was one Of the banished
grasses.
We'll, mother, You always get the
best OF me. I'll take back all said. !
begin to think we could not live with
out grass, but. of course, | did not
know such things as wheat and corn
We're grasses
'.They are the seed or fruit Of grass
but, mother. they do not look alike.
Why do yon class them together? What
is the coat of arms Of this family?'
In the first place all these stems are
culms, that is, jointed and hollow be-
tween the joints. Second, the leaves
have open sheaths. inclosing the stem
at their base. And they are two
ranked the second leaf coming ont
half way around the stem above the
first, and the third leaf exactly above
the first. and the fourth above the sec
ond, and SO on, and all have parallel
veins. Third, each flower is inclosed
in glume, or husk. Fourth, they are
all indigenous"
''rhat means inside growing" said
Madge.
'.Yes: there are no layers, but the
wood and pith is all mixed i'm together,
rs yon will see if you cut across corn
stalk"
"Why. mother, all the bread we eat
is made from the grass family
Yes: and the oat meal, wheat germ.
hominy, grits, barley; and besides that
they furnish nearly all the food for cat
tie. The great loads of hay. the barns
full of timothy and orchard-grass, all
come from your banished family. And
there is one you are especially fond Of
and drink its juice as readily rs Daisy
does that from the sweet hay"
Il may chew gum. but | never chew
grass stems for their juice, mother"
'.IIow about the sugar-cane?"
'.Of course, ! suck the juice from
that. Surely, that is not member OF
the familyo"
Look ut the coat of arms and see =
Yes; | know it has jointed stem
with wood and pith mixed together. The
leaves grow in two ranks, and are
parallel veined, and form sheath
around the stem. Is the root fibrouso''
"Yes; there is no long tap root. and
the flowers are Enclosed in little, scaly
bracts, or gluines This cane is an inn
portant one of the grasses Nearly all
the best sugar of the world comes from
it, Your candy shops would have to
close. and no more cane-sirup for that
sweet tooth of yours. No more pop
corn balls. either"
.What, mother, how is that?"
only that the sugar comes from the
NuHCs anu thS PoHVSoi INV Sout
corn, is first cousin"
's.rhe corn and cane are the largest of
the grass family: are they not, mothero'
mo: there is distant relative in
tropical countries which grows much
larger, the bamboo. 1t runs up from
fifty to eighty feet high, and the hol.
ow-jointed stem is ten inches thick-as
large as your body. 1t is a beautiful
plant and very useful
as we do corn?'
NO: only the young, tender shoots
are used for food, but almost every.
thing is made of the stem-honses
water pipes, umbrellas. fishing-rods
baskets. hats. furniture, ropes, and pa
per, and SO on
''Oh, yes, and have seen the walk
ing canes made Of bamboo. Which OF
all the grasses is the most useful?"
Rice furnishes food to more people
than any. for the people OF China and
India live almost entirely on rice. Corn
and wheat are used more in this coun-
try"
do none of the grasses have prett,
| flowers?'
mo, perhaps not: but the feathery
plumes Of the pampas grasses are a.
beautiful as flowers"
why, mother" said Madge. as she
made survey of the table. mot ons
thing on this tea-tdble but what i.
made from the grass family excep
the butter; and suppose you woult
tell me that Daisy could not give u.
that long. if there were no grass
Well, I'll not say anything more agains
the grass family, only wish it bor'