Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-09-23
washington, D. C., Sept. 30

Washington, D.. c., Sept. ~
Grass Is a subject Of primary interest
to farmers and to urban dwellers who
maintain lawns, but It Is coming to
be of more than incidental interest
to q large number OF people who are
strangers to the hayrake and the
lawnmower. These are the golf play
ers Of the nation, anti their name is
legion. Golf has brought grass into
the lives Of more people than Rny
other one thing. ave perhaps dairy
farming and stock raising.
Accordingly c. v. Piper. one Of the
experts Of the department Of Agricul-
ture. Is assured Of q wide audience
when he DISCUSSES grass in n OF
the official publications OF the de-
partment. That his subject is q big
are some 5000 distinctive species OF
grass in the world. However, only
about 90 are important cultivated
plants, and not more than 20 wild
species are abundant Or valuable In
any one locality.
One Of the first things Mr.. Piper
does is to explode the idea that Ken
lucky blue grass originated in the
state 1t has made famous One Of
these days the world will be astound-
ed to learn that the colonel also is
not Indigenous to Kentucky!
Kentucky blue grass II with the
possible exception OF timothy the
most noted grass in America" says
Mr.. Piper . perhaps on account OF
the famous blue grass country in
Kentucky the opinion prevails that
this gFAss IL q true native. Such,
however, is not the cas and blue
grass did not grow in Kentucky when
Boone discovered that attractive re
gion. Like most of our best cultivat-
ed grasses, blue grass IL q native OF
the Old World, where it occurs nat
urally over much of Europe and Asia.
1T was brought over by the early
colonists as one of the species con-
tanned in mixed grass seeds, and hke
some Of the others found the soil
The name blue grass has been sup
posed to be 4ue to the purplish color
Of the flow4ly. but there is good evil
dence that the name was first ap.
piled. to Canada blue grass, which haI
blush foliags, and was later trans
ferred to the greenlplant now called
Kentucky blue grass. 4
Found in Many States.
Kentucky blue grass i we'll known
for the beautiful lawns which II
makes as well a. the highly nutritious
pasturage which It furnishes. y
occurs throughout the northern hall
the climate is too dry. In the noun
tains and on the Pacific Coast low
lands it extends further southwark
Seed Of Kentucky blue grass Is har-
vested mainly In Kentucky. but more
or less in MissoyriSand Iowa also"
Not everything that looks like grass
is grass, but grasses ares Saeily~ distin.
guished from all other. EaHts by sew
eral peculiar chatacteristfcs. From
the expert we learn that the roots OF
all. whether annuai4 or p%erennials
are slender and thread-like. This
stems are jointed, usually cylii1drical
such species a. corn and sorghum
In the bamboo and few other grass.
81 the stems are woody. The joint
lis called q node and the$-part be.
tween the joints ID m i%nternode. The
leaves are usuelly Iong and narrow
parallel veined. and &te attached a,
the nodes. first on one side and ther
on the other,sso that they are in two
ranks.
the stsm e 2 sheath. While the upper p.
flattened. In some srasses the blade,
ARE folded, n Others inrolled In thu
bud. Where the blade and tn.
sheath join the tsxturel and colo,
are usually difEerSnt, this Joining par
being knows d. the collar:
The flower clusterF Of gresses ex.
hibit' a great many forms md, mani
gra9sss may atYonce ~ secognizet
by the forms Of thsss clusters. Eacl
branch appears from the BE OF Al
iptsrnoae, but fcr the nasst part ieave'