BY W. WOOLLS, PH. D., F.L.S. 317 



The harsh, dry and frequently woolly texture of many composites 

 in the interior is admirably adapted to stand the long droughts 

 •which frequently prevail there, though it is certain that they 

 yield only a temporary nutriment in dry seasons. It is remark- 

 able that the large order of the Composites in Australia affords 

 so little fodder available for sheep and cattle, and that of the 30 

 introduced species, now spreading as weeds in many parts of the 

 colony, scarcely any, with the exception of Sonchus oeraceus or 

 the common Sow-thistle can be utilized for that purpose. Eabbits 

 and hares are very fond of this plant, and it is eaten by goats, 

 sheep, and pigs, but not by horses. In Baron Mueller's remarks 

 on Australian Vegetation (1867), he dwells forcibly on the great 

 importance of the storage of water and the dissemination of 

 fodder plants in the interior, and the late drought has given 

 additional weight to his suggestions, for on the runs least 

 improved by art, there has been the greatest loss of sheep and 

 cattle. There can be no doubt that the storage of rain-water, or 

 the raising of water by the process of boring is the great desider- 

 atum of the present day, and as the population increases, it will 

 be found more and more necessary to resort to artificial means to 

 supply the wants of man and beast. Could the water so procured 

 be rendered available for the purpose of irrigation, it is easy to 

 foresee a vast increase of native vegetation as well as the possibility 

 of cultivating fodder plants from other parts of the world. The 

 Baron suggests that "the scattering of the common British 

 orach (Atriplex patitla), an annual, but autumnal plant, would 

 on the barest ground realize fodder for sheep." It may be added 

 that two of our indigenous salsolaceous plants {Rhagodia hastafa 

 and Atriplex semihaccata) are also admirably adapted for the same 

 purpose, and that they have been cultivated with success even in 

 soils differing very much from that ot' their native habitat. On 

 the whole then we may reasonably conclude with the Baron that 

 many barren tracts of the interior are capable of vast improvement 

 by the hand of art, and that "patient industry and intelligent 



