The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-25

Grass ID z 6nbjsct of primary in
terest TO farmera and to urban
dwelleFs who maintain lawns. but
It 10 coming 10 b Of more than r.
cidental interest to- 4 large numb.-
II people who Afe strangers to the
hayrake and the lawnmowoe. The9e
are the golf players d the nation.
and their name u legion. Golf hes
brought grass into the lives of
more people than any other one
thing. sAvs perhaps dairy farming
and steck ralsine.
Accordingly c. v. Piper, one Of
the experts Of the department OF
agriculture, IL assured Of / vide an
dience when he discusses grass tn
one Of the Official publications OF
the department. That his subject Is
q big one IL indicated by the fact
that there are some 5000 distinc-
tive species OF grass In the world.
However, only about 60 are import
i ant cultivated plAqts, and not more
taan 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
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 Ken
lucky!
Kentucky blue grass is with
the possible exception Of timotcy
the most noted grass in America, -
says Mr. Piper. Perhaps on &C
count 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 discov-
cred that attractive region. Like
most Of our best cultivated grasses
blue grass is native Of the old
world, where it occurs naturally
over much Of Europe and Asia.
ut was brought over by the early
colonists as one Of the species con-
tanned in mixed grass seeds, aud
like some of the others found the
soil and climate conditions congen-
fal. 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 ~!
iage, and was later transferred te
the green plant now called Ken.
lucky blue grass.
Found In Many States.
Kentucky blue grass is vel
known for the beautiful lawn.
which it makes as we'll as for tn,
highly nutritious pasturage which
it furnishes. 1t occurs throughout
the northern half of the Unitet
States, except where the climate i!
too dry. In the mountains and OF
the Pacific coast lowlands it extend,
further gouthward. Seed OF Ken
lucky blue grass is harvested
mainly, in Kentucky, but more o.
less in Missouri and Iowa also"
Not everything that looks Liz,
grass is grass, but grasses are cas-
lily distinguished from all othel
plants by several peculiar charac
teristics. From the expert we learl
that the roots OF all, whether an
nuals or perennials, are slende
and thread-like. The stems ar,
tointed, usually cylindrical AM
commonly hollow, but solid in sucl
species as corn and sorghum. II
the bamboo and few other grasse
the stems are woody. The joint i
called node and the part between
; the joints is an internode. Tn
, leaves are usually long and mar
row, parallel veined, and are at
tached to the nodes, first on on
! side sand then on the other, SO tina
y they are in two ranks.
I The lower part of the leaf en-
circles the stem as a sheath, Will
, the upper portion, the blade,
l more or less flattened. In som
grasses the blades are folded, i
, others inrolled in the bud. Wher
: the blade and the sheath Join tn
1 texture and color are usually differ
e ent, this joining part being know
$ as the collar.
The flower clusters Of grasses eN
1 hibit a great many forms and man
s grass is popularity applied to a
8 by the forms Of these clusters. Fac
: branch appears from the base of a
: internode, but for the most pal
|. leaves or rudiments of leaves d
: not occur in THE flower cluster.
s Most people DO not think of cor