Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-09-23

I
region. Like most Of our best cult |
waited grasses. blue grass IS native
Of the old World, whore IL occurs
naturally over much Of Europe and
Asia.
1T was brought over by tho early
colonists as one OF tho species con
tanned in mixed grass seeds. and like
Some Of the others found the soil and
climate conditions conCenial 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 20
Canada blue gross. which has blush
foliage. and was later transferred TO
the green plant now called Kentucky
blue grass.
Fonnd In Many States.
II Kentucky blue grass Is well known
for the beautiful lawns which IL makes
as we'll as for the highly nutritious
. pasturage which II furnishes. IL oc-
ours throughout the northern half
OF the United States, except where the
; climate is too dry. In the mountains
! and on the Pacific coast lowlands Il
/
. Kentucky blue grass Is harvested
: mainly In Kentucky, but more or less
In Missouri and Iowa also"
Not everything that looks like graes
: is grass. but grasses are easily dis
9 tinguished from ali other plants by
Q several peculiar characteristics. From
? the expert we learn that the roots OF
5 all, whether ANIMALS or perennials. are
d slender and thread-lfxe. The stems
y are jointed. usually cylindrical and
commonly hollow. but solid in such
! species an corn andsorghum. In the
l. bamboo and a few other grasses the
( stems are woody. The jointsis called
I a node and the part between the Joints
a Ia an internode. The leaves are
usually long and narrow. parallel
= veined, and are attached at the nodes
:; first on one side and then on the other
so that they are in two ranks.
y The lower part of the leaf encircle.
~ the stem as a sheath, while the upper
portion. the blade, Is more or less
fiattened. In some grasses the blade:
are folded. in others iurolled in the
bud. Where the blade and the sheath
join the texture and color are usually
different. this joining part belnt
~ known as the collar.
Of The flower clusters OF grasses ex
hibit a great many forms and mani
l. grasses may at once be recognized b,
ID the forms OF these clusters. Eacl
branch appears from the base of al
=" internode. but for the most par
or leaves or rudiments of leaves do no
I L. h. oil
n Most people do not think of corr
Id wheat. oats. barley. rye. rice, suga
IN cane. and the like as grass. but sucl
is their botanical classification. o.
the other hand, the term grass
On popularity applied to all the gree
e. heritage on which cattle and othe
- animals feed. and this would includ
e. many plants which are not botanicall
ou related 10 the true grasses. such a
no the cloyers, alfalfa, ct cetera. tn
grasses furnish the principal food {
both man and beast and are tn
Is foundations of agriculture.
At Singularly enough. the most import
ant grasses, the cereals, are not know
in the wild state and their cultivatio
m extends so far back into antiquity ths
list known. Either their Wild counter
parts have become extinct. or Il
cereals have been so developed an
.. changed by civilization that their Wi
- forms are no longer recognizable.
TO- Many Species In This Country.
RS Altogether there are about LAO
- species OF grass growing in the Unite
States. In one state alone, Washing
ton, some 275 species are foun
w. Originally almost one-half the are
,ly Of the United States consisted
k prairies. the principal heritage
n which was grasses, and the existen'
OF this vast domain of grassland h;
never been fully explained, since
has been discovered that trees gro
readily enough on these prairies on
they have been introduced there.
OF all the hay grasses cultivated
;. the United States, timothy is by 4
the most important, its acreage beiI
four times as great as that of all Il
8. others put together, and equallil
that OF all hay plants. including GLOW
wn and alfalfa.
Timothy had become the most il
of portant hay grass in the Unit
I. States as early as 1907" says N
ore Piper, land il has since held this pc.
ton unchallenged. Its reputation as
Of feed depends upon it's high pala
my ability. combined with moderate n
tritive value, so that 1t is practical
impossible TO injure an animal
overlooking.
"Redtop is the only grass of mu
ey- prominence as a hay plant among {
eess many grasses belonging to the gen
Mill Agrostis. 1t was early introduc
nall into the American colonies. This grs
Eu- has been known under many comm
,ent names such as whitetop. form, VIII
ons, bent and herds grass, but as all
,uc- these names belong more properly
lother grasses they should not be u: