Manual Of The Grasses Of New S

Author : J. H. Maiden
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781331925996
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (259 download)

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Download or read book A Manual of the Grasses of New South Wale (Classic Reprint) written by J. H. Maiden and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-21 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from A Manual of the Grasses of New South Wale I trust this little Manual will supply a two-fold demand - that of the farmer and pastoralist, and that of the botanist. The former, whom it is primarily intended to help, may lay aside the botanical descriptions and find, perhaps, that the other notes and the references to plates will not only assist them in identifying the various kinds of grasses, but also in appraising their value; and guide them in taking steps to cultivate and improve them. As far as our knowledge extends at present, there are about 3,200 species of grasses, of which 196, comprised in 56 genera, are indigenous to this Colony. When it is pointed out. that the short turf of the tops of our mountain ranges, and some of the tall reedy plants of our lagoons, are alike grasses, it will be at once understood how different in appearance and properties are the plants we call by this name. Grasses have flowers and seeds as well as gum-trees or lilies, but owing to the enormous number of herbivorous animals- domestic, such as sheep, cattle, and horses- and wild native animals, such as wallabies and kangaroos, (to say nothing of the ubiquitous rabbit), the flowering and seeding parts of the plant are usually eaten down, so that the diversity that grasses would naturally present is frequently not apparent; consequently, in many cases, in looking at grasses in the field we have only the leaves to look at, and as there is much similarity between the leaves of many grasses, the difficulty of the pastoralist in learning about them is much increased. If, however, he exercises care, he will see in paddocks from which stock are excluded, or under the shelter of shrubs, fences, stones, c., grasses which have been allowed to flower, and by examination of these he can usually be able to discriminate most of the grasses on his holding. Nevertheless, however it may be simplified, there is no golden road to a knowledge of the grasses any more than to any other branch of knowledge, and those interested in the subject may be reminded that the Department will always be willing to name and give information in regard to any specimen that may be sent. But the grass must be sent in flower or grain; it will not suffice simply to send blades. What we know as grass consists of a number of plants growing closely together - for grasses will grow together far more closely than is the case with most plants. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.