Experiment}' with Grasses, Sfc. 539 



tine days of winter, the weeds strongly assert themselves, to the almost 

 irreparable injury of the delicate seedlings. 



Starting with Clovers, the Scarlet variety, of which two plots were 

 sown, was a complete failure, scarcely a seed germinating. This, 

 perhaps, may be attributed either to early sowing or faulty seed. 

 Alsyke came up strongly and did well, proving itself a valuable plant, 

 and standing the dry spell of last summer splendidly. It would be 

 difficult to surpass this clover in this locality. The Birdsfoot Trefoil 

 gave a great body of feed, but requires a richer soil. The Bokhara 

 Clover was probably on the poorest patch, and did fairly well. 

 Sainfoin was not a success ; but Sheep's Burnet has done well. It 

 evidently suits the district, and would give an enormous quantity of 

 sheep-feed per acre. Sulla makes a vigorous growth, but I fancy a 

 warmer climate and rich alluvial land would suit it better. Under 

 more favourable conditions it should prove well worthy the attention 

 of our farmers in the northern areas. The Millets, sown in June, 

 were destroyed by the first frost ; and one plot contained Guinea 

 Grass — transplanted in June — which also perished. A bed of this 

 strojig- growing grass, transplanted in 1901, gave magnificent results 

 during the following summer and autumn, but died out after the first, 

 frosts. Those well-known grasses, Cocksfoot and Prairie, were a 

 success; but Timothy, which is reported to behave well in other 

 portions of the district, did not come up to expectations. The 

 Hungarian Forage Grass was a partial failure from seed — the plants 

 coming on very slowly and unevenly — although some roots trans- 

 planted last winter have succeeded better. Still it does not seem to 

 flourish under conditions obtaining here. The Kentucky Blue Grass 

 is another unprofitable variety on this soil — it would be better adapted 

 for lawns than for the purposes of the grazier. The Golden Crown 

 fPaspaluvi dilatat'umj is, par excellence, the grass for our creek and 

 river flats and gullies ; while there can be no doubt that it is far 

 ahead of any other for the poverty-stricken buck-shot areas about 

 here. In the garden, where over 20,000 plants were dibbled in during 

 February and March, 1902, a heavy crop was cut last summer, and 

 now the dense, luxuriant mass of succulent feed, over five feet high, 

 is being mowed and turned into ensilage. It may here be remarked 

 that eleven acres of our poorest land were planted in the spring and 

 summer, 1902-03, and are a picture. It would be hard indeed to find 

 a finer field of grass. Farmers having hungry patches on their 

 holdings might do very much worse than sow down with this splendid 

 grass, always being careful that they obtain hand-gathered and 

 thoroughly ripe seed. August is the best month in which to sow, 

 and spring and early summer to plant, although last autumn we put 

 out some 54,000 plants, which struck very successfully with scarcely 

 a miss, and have come on well. 



Among the other grasses the various Fescues are deserving of a 

 place on every farm in this portion of Victoria. The Tall Fescue is 

 undoubtedly the champion of this class, enduring both the drought 

 of summer and cold of winter splendidly. Standing between four 



