Vanilla grass (S. odorata), commonly called °sweet grass° in the North west is found from New England to Oregon and Washington. It is noted for its strong vanilla like odor, resembling the odor of sweet vernal grass. The dried leaves are used by the Indians in weaving small mats and boxes, in which con dition they retain their characteristic odor.
Cord grass (S. cynosuroides) is an important constitutent of the swamp hay of which large quantities are cut in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. It is frequently found in large areas growing alone, as if it had been sown there by hand. The hay is of fair quality and the yield large.
characteristic genus of the West and Southwest, where several spe des are important on the ranges. Saccaton (S. wrightii) is common in Arizona and New Mex ico, where it grows in large clumps and is fre quently cut for hay. Although decidedly coarse, the hay is valued as forage. Dropseed (S. cryptandrus), common on the Western plains and in the Rocky Mountains, is much relished by stock.
single species, S. dimidi alum, is of importance. It is frequently used as a lawn grass from Charleston, S. C., south ward. Sometimes called Charleston lawn grass and Mission grass. This is the pimento grass of Jamaica. In New South Wales it is called buf falo grass. It grows on all kinds of soils, from heavy clay to almost pure sand, but is seldom found far from the seashore.
large and important genus in our western flora. Several species are remarkably long-awned on the flowering glumes, giving them the popular designation of needle grasses. Some of them have the lower end of the seed produced into a hard, sharp joint which fre quently penetrates the skin of animals, render ing these species somewhat of a nuisance to stockmen. Many of them, however, make ex cellent hay on the great plains. S. leucotricha is the bearded mesquite of central and southern Texas, a valuable wild hay grass. S. vaseys, found in the Rocky Mountains at altitudes of 5,000 to 6,000 feet, has the peculiar property of inducing sleep in stock that eat it, for which reason it is known as °sleepy grass." No harm, further than a desire to sleep, seems to follow a feast on this grass; the effects wear off gradu ally in a day or two.
Uniola.— One species (U. latifolio) has large panicles of broad, drooping spikelets, rendering it exceedingly graceful. It is used as an ornamental, and is indeed one of the most beautiful of the grasses. It is found from Pennsylvania westward to Illinois and south ward. U. paniculata, seaside oats, grows
abundantly on the sands of our southern At lantic coast and on the Gulf coast where it serves as a sand binder.
Zizania.— Wild rice; Tuscarora rice. Wild rice (Z. aquatica) is one of the most striking in appearance of any of the American grasses. It occurs on mud flats almost all over the country. It is very abundant on the tide flats of the Dela ware and Potomac rivers, as well as in many other places, both in the United States and Can ada. A field of it in bloom presents a very pleasing appearance with its large, graceful pan ides, yellow below with a great wealth of stam inate flowers in drooping branches of the pan icle, the upper, pistillate branches rising grace fully at various angles. When found in situ ations that permit it to be harvested, Indian rice is cut for forage, yielding enormous quan tities of succulent feed, much relished by stock. The seed is gathered in quantity for food by Indians in the Northern States and in Canada. It is frequently planted in mud or shallow water for its seed, of which fish and birds are exceed ingly fond. The seed is gathered in boats, into which it is threshed from the tall stems grow ing in water. The seed keeps best under water.
Ornamental Grasses.—A number of valu able ornamental grasses have been mentioned above. A few others deserve notice. Reed (Arundo donax) is found in dooryards in nearly all parts of the country, particularly in the South, though it thrives quite well at the North. It frequently attains a height of 15 feet or more. It resembles sorghum, but is more leafy and more graceful in appearance. It is a perennial, springing up in early spring from the roots. As a background for smaller ornamental plants it is invaluable. Many of the bamboos are exceedingly useful as orna mental plants. Only a few species are adapted to northern latitudes. A garden variety of Pha laris arundinacca is common in this country un der the name of ribbon grass. Its leaves are striped with white. There is also a similar striped variety of reed. Coix lachryma-jolii, Job's tears, is a small to medium-sized grass frequently found in gardens and dooryards; it is noted for the indurated, tear-shaped cov ering of the seed. Eulalia japonica of the Orient, Erianthus ravenne (Ravenna grass) of Italy and Gyncrium argenteum (Pampas grass) of the Argentine pampas are other well-knbwn and deservedly popular ornamental grasses.