232 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1890. 



to be rare. It is probably a wild species of the last-named panicum, 

 and does not appear to be used at all. 



P. frunientaceum. Roxb. Fl. lud., I., 137; Oplismenus frumentaceus 

 Kunt. Enum, I., 146 ; Dalz. and Gib. Bom. FL Suppl. 98. 

 Vern. Shamoola, Shama (Roxb.), Samuka, Sawak (Duthie.) 

 Cultivated principally in Northern India as a rain crop. It is of 

 very rapid growth, and ripens in about six weeks from the time of 

 sowing. The grain which is of poor quality is used by the natives 

 in preference to all others for religious purposes. The stalks are 

 used as cattle fodder. 



Oplismenus, Beaut. 



0. Burmanniy Beauv. Agrost. t. 54 ; Dalz. and Gib. Bomb. Fl. 

 291. 



Vern. Kadack, Bel. Yerwa. 



Common everywhere, especially under the shades of trees and on 

 cultivated ground. In the West Indies it goes by the name of 

 Pagister grass or Scotch grass. 



The following allusion to it appears in Loudon's Encyclopaedia 

 of Agriculture. — " The island (Jamaica) abounds also with dif- 

 " ferent kinds of grass of excellent quality, the artificial grass called 

 " Scott's Grass (Panicum hirtellum, fig. 199, a. p. 195), grows spon- 

 " taneously in most of the swamps and morasses of the West Indies, 

 " and is so productive, that a single acre of it will maintain 

 " five horses for a whole year." According to Duthie — " In Oudh it 

 " is reported that cattle eat this grass with relish," and . . . that it 

 " makes good hay." 



In Bombay it is also considered a good fodder for cattle. 



0. compositus, Beauv. Agrost. 54 ; P. sylwaticus. R. and S. ; 0. 

 lanceolatus, Kunt. Enum. 1, 146; Dalz. and Gib. Bomb. Fl. 292. 



Vern. Turdia, Shora. 



At Lanowli, Tanna, up to the foot of the ghauts, Roxburgh says 

 cattle are not fond of it. 



0. stagninm of Dalz. and Gib. Bomb. Fl. is the Panicum crus- 

 galli of Linn. 



The large form "I this is cultivated in some parts as one of the 

 millets or Hue grains. Cattle arc fond of this grass. (Ferguson). 



