Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-09-23
GRASS LORE FOR FARMERS
AND OTHERS INTERESTED
Daily Letter by Frederic J.. Haskin

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2O-Grass
is a subject of primary interest to
formers and to urban jewellers who
maintain lawns, but it is coming to
be of more than incidental interest
to a large number Of people who
are strangers to the hayrake and
lawnmower. These are the golf
players of the nation, and their
name is legion. Golf has brought
grass into the lives Of more people
than any other one thing, save per-
haps dairy farming and stock rails
ing.
Accordingly Q. v. Piper, one of
the experts OF the Department Of
Agriculture, Is assured of a wide
audience when he discusses grass
in n Of the official publications of
n department. That his subject
Is a big one is indicated by he fact
that there are some 5000 distinctive
species OF grass In the world. How
ever, only about so are important
cultivated plants, and not more
than twenty wild species are album
dant or valuable in any che local
ity.
One Of the first things Mr.. Piper
does is to explode the idea that
Kentucky blue grass originated in
the state it has made famous. One
OF these days the world will be as
founded to learn that the colonel
also is not Indigenous to Kentucky.
Kentucky blue grass IS 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 grass is a true native. Such,
however, is not the case, and blue
grass did not grow in Kentucky
when Boone discovered that at
tractive region. Like most of our
best cultivated grasses, blue grass
Is a native of the Old World, where
it occurs naturally over much of
Europe and Asia.
ut was brought over by the
%colonists as one of the species o
tanned in mixed grass seeds, and
like some of the others found the
soil and climate conditions cor
genial. The name blue grass has
been supposed to be due to the pur-
plish color of the flowers, but there
is good evidence that the name was
first applied to Canada blue grass,
which has blush foliage, and was
later transferred to the green plant
now called Kentucky blue grass.
Found in Many States
Kentucky blue grass is well
known for the beautiful lawns
| which it makes as well as for the
| highly nutritious p~asturage which
it furnishes. 1t occur throughout
! the northern half of the United
| States, except where the climate is
too dry. In the mountains and on
| the Pacific coast lowlands it extends
further southwark. Seed of Ken
| lucky blue grass is harvested main
ly in Kentucky, but more or less In
Missouri and Iowa Also
Not everything that looks like
grass is grass, but grasses are easily
| distinguished from all other plants
| by several peculiar characteristics
From the expert we learn that the
roots of all, whether ANNALS or per-
ennials the slender and ~thread-hke
The stems are jointed usually cyl
indrical and commonly hollow, bul
solid in such species as corn and
sorghum. In the bamboo and a few
other grasses the stems are woody
The joint is called a node n the
part between the joints Is an inter
node. The leaves are usual ions
and narrow, parallel veined, and are
attached at the nodes, first on ont
side and then on the other, so tina
they are in two ranks.
The lower part of the leaf encir
cles the stem as a sheath, whlle TN
upper portion, the blade, Is more O.
less flattened. In some grasses TN
blades are folded In others inroli
ed in the bud. Where the blad'
and the sheath join the texture ant
color are usually different, / JOIN
ing part being known as the coiiar
The flower clusters of grasses eA
hibit a great many forms n man
grasses may at once be recognize,
by the forms of these clusters. Fac
branch appears from the base OF a
internode. u for the most par
caves or rudiments Of leaves q
not occur in the flower cluster.
Most people do not think OF corr
wheat, oats. barley, rye, rice, suea
can and the like as grass u sue
is their botanical classification. u
The other hand the term grass
, popularly applied to all the gree
heritage on which tn cattle an
other animals feed, and this woup