FAIRY-TREES MADE OF GRASSES
SOME of our grasses appear like very large trees to the little grass
fairies who, we like to pretend, hide in their midst; while other
grasses, with their jointed, bamboo-like stems, seem to these tiny
people to be tall forests of real bamboo.
Why not play that you are a little fairy and live among the grasses?
But to see the grasses as the fairies see them you must lie down and
bring your eyes very near the ground; so stretch yourself out flat,
face down, with your head lower than the grass tops; then look steadily
ahead through the tall grass stems. What do you see?
The five fairy-trees standing by themselves in Fig. 46 are four
short-stemmed tops of the Scribner's panic-grass. Fig. 47 shows
exactly how the grass looks before you pick it, and Fig. 48 gives a
simple design that you can make by placing the tips of the four grass
tops together, allowing the stems of two heads to lie in a straight
horizontal line (that means a line running from left to right), and the
stems of the other two heads to lie in a straight line vertically (that
means up and down).
While you are playing with the grasses you can begin to learn something
about them. The beard-grass, which some people call the little
blue-stem (Fig. 49), has near relatives named forked beard-grass and
bushy beard-grass. These are stiff and angular, with bamboo-like stems,
just the thing for trees in a little Japanese garden which some time
you will want to make. You may run across them anywhere, for they are
common in all parts of our country.
[Illustration: Fig.46 - Trees of Scribner's Panic-Grass.]
[Illustration: Fig.47 - Scribner's Panic-Grass as it grows, Panicum
Scribnerianum.]
Make friends with these and with other grasses. As you find them learn
their names just as you would learn the names of new playmates. Take
the grasses home, show them to your father and to your mother; if they
do not know their names, carry them to school and ask your teacher
about them. In case she cannot tell you, go to the public library with
your grasses and persuade the librarian at the desk to help you find
their pictures and names in some of her books. All grasses have names,
so [Illustration: Fig.49 - You will run across these anywhere.] keep
asking and hunting until you know what to call them. When you know
their names you will be glad to see your friends, the pretty green
grasses, whenever you find them.
In Chapter XVIII, which tells how to make a burdock-burr house, you
will find more about grasses.
[Illustration: Fig.48 - Scribner's Panic-Grass. Design made of four
grass heads.]