The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-09-23
Nv EREDERICK J. HAsKIN

BY EREDEhl(h D. hASEN1N
WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 20
Grass is a subject of primary interest,"
to farmers and urban jewellers VINO
maintain lawns, but it is coming 10 DC
of more than incidental interest 10
large number of people who are strang-
ers to the hayrake and the laWnmoWeF'
These are the golf players OF the ma
ton, and their name is legion Con
has brought grass into the nVes VI
more people than any other one thing
save perhaps dairy farming and stocA
raising.
Accordingly, c. V. Piper, one of the
experts of the department OF agrlcul
ture, is assured of wide audience
when he discusses grass in one or the
official publications of the department
That his subject is big one is lndl-
Gated by the fact that there are some
5000 distinctive species OF grass 1T
the world. However only about 90
are important cultivated plants, ana
not more than 20 wild species are
abundant or valuable in any one To-
| eality.
! One of the first things Mr.. Piper
| does is to explode the idea that Ken
/ lucky blue grass originated in the state
| it has made famous. One of these
days the world will be astounded to
! learn that the colonel also is lot in.
/ digenous to Kentucky!
Kentucky blue grass is with the
/ possible exception Of timothy the most
noted grass in America" says MI.
| Piper. Perhaps on account OF the ia
nous blue grass country in Kentucky
I H. 4l,+ ~
/ a true native Such, however, is not
the case, and blue grass did not grow
| in Kentucky when Boone discovered
that attractive region. Like most OF
our best cultivated grasses, blue grass
| is native of the old World, where Il
| occurs naturally over much of Europe
and Asia.
at was brought over by the early
colonists as one of the species con
tanned in mixed seeds, and like some
| of the others found the soil and eli.
mate conditions congenial. The name
blue grass has been supposed to be
due to the purplish 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 Kentucy
blue grass.
Found in
Many States.
'Kentucy blue grass is we'll known
for the beautiful lawns which it makes
as we'll as for the highly nutritious pas
turage which it furnishes. 1t occurs
throughout the northern half of tbs
United States, except where the eli
mate is too dry. In the mountains
and on the Pacific coast lowlands il
extends further southwark. Seed o.
Kentucky blue grass is harvested
mainly in Kentucky, but more or less
in Missouri and Iowa also"
Not everything that looks like grass
is grass, but grasses are easily dis
tinquished from all other plants by
several peculiar characteristics. From
the expert we learn that the roots o.
/ all, whether ANNALS of perennials, are
I slender and thread-like. The stems are
! jointed, usually cylindrical and com
monty hollow, but solid in such spec
les as corn and sorghum. In the BAN
boo and few other grasses the stem!
+ are woody. The joint is called a nod
and the part between the joints is al
internode. The leaves are usual!
/ long and narrow, parallel veined, ant
. are attached at the nodes, first on on,
side and then on the other, so tina
= they are in two ranks.
The lower part of the leaf encircle
: the stem as a sheath, while the uppe
! portion, the blade, is more or less flat
! tened. In some grasses the blade
: are folded, in others inrolled in tn
bud. Where the blades and the sheatl
. join the texture and color are usual.
different, this joining part bein,
known as the color.
, The flower clusters of grasses e1
: hibit a great many forms and man,
. grasses may at once be recognized b
: the forms of these clusters. Fac
: branch appears from the base of al
internode, but for the most par
leaves or rudiments of leaves do no
Il occur in the flower cluster.
= Most people do not think of corr
/ COUGHS DISTURB SCHOOL WORK
oh civ ha