314 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. [May 3, 1920. 



harsh. A very rehable correspondent reported last year on this grass as 

 follows : — " Jt appears to be very valuable as a fodder. The whole of 1918 

 was a bad drought here, and there has not been one point of rain for the 

 last thirty-seven days; yet it is still growing." 



It will pay pastoralists to protect this grass as much as possible, as it is 

 likely to disappear under heavy stocking and if not allowed to seed. 



Chloris ventricosa is sometimes called Tall Star grass. This is because of 

 its tall habit, particularly in its flowering stages, by which it can be readily 

 distinguished from the other native Chloris grasses. Like C. acicularis, the 

 grass has a fairly wide range, but is by no means common. It occurs more 

 abundantly in coastal districts than elsewhere, particularly north of 

 Newcastle. The late Mr. Sylvester Browne went to some trouble in 

 endeavouring to foster this grass, and harvested a large amount of seed. 

 Pastoralists, however, have been slow in fostering its development, which is 

 a matter for extreme regret, as the grass is an excellent one for both large 

 and small stock. The seed germinates fairly readily, and under irrigation at 

 Bathurst it produced a very large amount of feed. It is very partial to 

 shady situations, and is often found in abundance on partially cleared land. 

 It makes its best growth in early summer, and has a growing period some- 

 what similar to that of C. truncata. 



Chloris divaricata has a flag very similar to that of Chloris truncata, and 

 an inflorescence resembling that of C. acicularis. The flowers, however, are 

 much more crowded along the spikes than in the lattei-. It is the least 

 abundant of all the native Chloris family, but it appears to have a fairly 

 wide range. It" is not of sufficient economic importance at present to give 

 it prominence above any of the other Chloris grasses. 



( To he continued. ) 



Sugar Beet Growing in England. 



A DEFINITE effort is to be made to establish the sugar beet industry in 

 England. That country is one of the largest consumers of sugar in the 

 world, requiring £25,000,000 worth annually even on the prices ruling before 

 the war. To carry out an experiment in sugar production on commercial 

 lines a company is to be floated, with a nominal capital of £1,000,000, of 

 which one-fourth is to be offered at once to the public, and a second fourth 

 will V)e taken up by the Government to rank below the first for dividend. 

 The flrst business of the company will be to erect a factory at Newark 

 (Notts), and then to induce farmers in the district to grow sufficient sugar 

 beet to keep the factory in full opc^ration. An esta'^e on which to conduct a 

 central demonstration for local faruK^rs has already been secured. With a 

 ))reference of £G 4s. per ton over the imported foreign article and nearly 

 £1 19s. per ton over the small amount received from the other parts of the 

 Empire, the enormous market is regarded as ottering a favourable .opening. 



