GRASSES CAN BE ORNAMENTAL ROLAND Mckee

734 YEARBOOK OF AGRICULTURE 1948 Unfortunately it is one of the more mine the chemical identity of the toxic palatable lupines and is particularly principles of crazyweed have thus far poisonous to cattle and horses and failed. somewhat so to sheep. This makes it Grassy deathcamas {Zigadenus gra- remarkable among native range lu- mineus) belongs to the bunchflower pines, which are commonly poisonous tribe of the lily family and ranges from only to sheep and, as a rule, only the South Dakota to Saskatchewan, Idaho, pods and seeds are notably toxic. Utah, and Colorado, occurring on hills Crazyweed {Oxytropis lamhertii) and meadows between about 4,000 is representative of a group related and 7,000 feet, usually in sandy or to the locoweeds [Astragalus spp.) gravelly loams. It is the most toxic that cause locoism. Because of its con- member of this poisonous genus—all fusion in poisonous plant literature parts are injurious—and is especially with other related species, its precise dangerous in early spring (when other status is somewhat uncertain, but there feed is relatively scarce) and at fruit- is no doubt that it is one of the im- ing time, the seed being especially portant sources of locoism in domestic virulent. It affects all classes of live- livestock. It has a wide altitudinal stock. variation, from plains to the Engel- mann spruce-lodgepole pine belt, THE AUTHORS- William A. Day- and occurs from Minnesota to Mon- ton is in charge of dendrology and tana and southward to Arizona and range forage investigations of the Texas. Attempts to isolate and dcter- United States Forest Service,

GRASSES CAN BE ORNAMENTAL ROLAND McKEE

GRASSES hold a prominent place as ally know^n by the misnomer "eulalia." ornamentals and their value for this The smaller grasses can be used purpose is generally recognized. Any everywhere in lawns and gardens as list of plants commonly used in home bedding plants, background plants, or gardens and public parks will include for borders. The most important for a number of grass species. When set such uses are West Indies pennisetum against ornamentals with large and {Pennisetum setaceum), feathertop showy flowers grasses afford a pleasing (P. villosum), weeping lovegrass {Era- contrast. Although small and incon- grostis curvula), flarescale lovegrass spicuous, the flowers of grasses arc {E. amahilis)^ Japanese lovegrass [E. produced in abundance and, when tenella), big quakinggrass {Briza maxi- massed in large plumose or gracefully ma), little quakinggrass {B. minor)¡ drooping panicles, they are delight- and desmazeria {Desmazeria sicula). fully beautiful. Grasses are attractive, Although the greatest use of grass not only for their tiny flowers in grace- ornamentals is for outdoor planting, ful panicles, but also for the graceful their use for cut flowers is of impor- display in clumps of upright leaves. tance. The flowering panicles of many The large grasses lend thcmsclvc^s grasses, when arranged in tall vases or admirably for use in spacious parks or low bowls, make a beautiful display. in large home lawns. The species of The flowering panicles of a number importance in this class arc pampas- of grasses can be dried and used grass (Cortaderia s ello ana), Uvagrass through a long period of time. Among [Gynerium sagittatum)^ and Chinese the grasses that can be used in this silvergrass [Aiiscanthus sinensis) usu- way are wdnter bent {Agrostis hiera- BAMBOOS FOR FARM AND HOME 735 alis)y cloud bent {A. nebulosa), hares- THE AUTHOR<«- Roland McKee tail {Lagurus ovatus), and the quak- is an agronomist in the Bureau of Plant ing grasses {Briza maxima^ B. minors Industry, Soils, and Agricultural E7igi- and B. media). neerinn.

BAMBOOS FOR FARM AND HOME

F. A. McCLURE

THE BAMBOOS arc set off from the There have been many changes more familiar grasses by certain tech- since the carbon-filament lamp revo- nical characters, such as the woody lutionized illumination, but bamboo stems and the petiolate, or stalked, now promises to offer to the technical leaf blades. They comprise a highly world another fundamental raw ma- varied array of plants that range in terial, cellulose. That the bulk of size and habit from tiny dwarfs a few China's vast paper requirements has inches high to long and slender climb- been supplied, for hundreds of years, ers and giants a foot in diameter and by hand-dipped bamboo pulp is com- more than 100 feet tall. Among them mon knowledge. It may be news to are individual kinds with properties many, however, that paper is already that suit them, in aggregate, to a thou- being made by machine, on a commer- sand functions. Many of the uses, al- cial scale, from bamboo pulp in Trini- though of basic importance in the dad, Siam, Burma, India, and France, areas where industry remains largely as well as in China. The Forest Re- in the handicraft stage, are looked search Institute at Dehra Dun, India, upon in this mechanized world only publishes its annual reports on ma- as curiosities. Other uses have come chine-made bamboo paper, which closer to our everyday lives than most seems to me to be the equal of the best of us know. book paper made from wood pulp. The most successful of Thomas A. The promise of bamboo is great. Edison's early incandescent electric This is in terms of yearly per-acre pro- lamps had for its light-giving element duction of cellulose and of possible in- a carbonized filament of bamboo— crease of digester capacity. a slender, wirelike element made from Estimates based on carefully docu- a single fibro-vasular bundle from an mented records of the United States internode of a bamboo culm, or stem. Forest Service indicate that plantations Bamboo fibers were still used in car- of slash pine managed on a 35-year ro- bon-filament lamps for special pur- tation gavCj at a time when most of the poses as late as 1910. trees were under 20 years of age, an Apparently—we are not sure—Edi- average annual yield of 1.13 tons of son used fibers from a species of bam- oven-dry, sulphate, kraft pulp per acre. boo growing wild in the jungle at an Bamhusa vulgaris, on the other hand, elevation of about 5,000 feet on the according to records of the Trinidad slopes of Volcan Chiriquí, Panama. I Paper Pulp Co., Ltd., mentioned by the have collected botanical specimens general manager, C. T. B. Ezard, in an and fibers from this bamboo, which is interview, has produced more than 4 said by local witnesses to have been tons of pure, dry, cellulose pulp a year the source of some of Edison's experi- on a 3-year cutting cycle, at St. Augus- mental material. It is Chusquea pit- tine, Trinidad. On a 4-year cutting tieri Hackel, a plant that appears to cycle it produced up to 4.5 tons. the casual observer to be of little in- As for digester capacity, the capac- terest or technical promise. ity of a given digester, in terms of yield