308 



spread into places where it was not required. An examination oi 

 all the more recent literature dealing with the economic value of 

 this grass leaves little room for doubting its great usefulness, but 

 caution must be exercised to keep it under experimental control at 

 first until it is seen what its behavior is going to be under a new 

 environment. 



Before proceeding to deal with the economic characteristics of 

 the plant, it may prove interesting first of all to say a few words 

 about the distribution of the different species of this interesting 

 genus. According to Index Kcivcnsis, there are some species of 

 Chloris which are indigenous to different parts of the tropics, but 

 chiefly Africa. There are nine species and several varieties of the 

 genus indigenous to Australia. In the West, there are several 

 indigenous to tropical America, whilst C. brcvigJnma is a 

 native of Cuba, and what is more interesting, C. propinqua is in- 

 digenous to Guadeloupe. In the present connection it is worth 

 noting that the well-known West Indian grass Cynodon Dactylon 

 has been described on one or two occasions wrongly as C. mar- 

 it ima. 



According to the Kew Bulletin ( 1908, No. 1 ) , most of the Aus- 

 tralian species are excellent forage grasses, having a high repu- 

 tation with stock owners, who know them as "Blue star grass" 

 and "Dog's tooth star grass," as well as by other popular names. 

 But according to the Queensland Agricultural Journal ( \'ol. 

 XXVI, p. 164), it is the introduced species, Chloris Gayona, that 

 has given most satisfaction. This grass has not only survived, but 

 has grown luxuriantly through the long dry summer months, and 

 has been regarded in many parts as a sort of nursery crop for any 

 animals lacking in condition. In one place, the seed of this grass 

 was sown at the rate of 2 lbs. to the acre together with 2 lbs. of 

 Paspahim dilatatum — the well-known fodder grass which is grad- 

 ually being ousted by C. Gayoiia. It is stated that Rhodes grass, 

 unlike other quick-growing ones, is relished at all stages of dcvel- 

 o])ment by stock, and does not deleteriously affect dairy products. 

 It has proved a wonderful grass for resisting drought, and will 

 grow and remain green when all other grasses, natural and arti- 

 ficial, are burnt up. It requires a less rich soil than Paspahim 

 dilatatum. When harvested, it has an aroma that is not easily de- 

 fined — very strong, but not unpleasant. It is said to make good 

 chaff, especially when mixed with lucerne. In one trial, the yield 

 ])er acre of hay was at the rate of 5 tons 7 cvvt. 



The comparative feeding values of the two grasses are discussed 

 in the Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales (\'ol. XXII, p. 

 238), where it is regarded as established thai Ivliodcs grass has a 

 greater nutritive value than I'as])alum grass, being richer in pro- 

 tein and ])oorer in crude fiber. In this account it is mentioned in- 

 cidentally that C. Gayaiia has a creeping stem whicli roots at the 

 joints, but in a thick stand the stems are ui)right. This power to 



