9° Journal of Agriculture. [lo Feb., 1910. 



From the foregoing it will be seen how necessary it is to plant seed 

 -entirely free from infection. One single cyst contains many eggs and 

 will produce enough worms to infect the ground around. The blisters, 

 unless numerous, easily escape observation, hence a cursory examination is 

 not sufficient before planting. The potato worm not being nearly so 

 active as the onion worm, I should think ploughing so that the surface soil 

 is buried deeply would be beneficial for a time at least. The ordinary 

 ■earth worm of course plays a large part in again bringing the eggs of the 

 nematode to the surface. 



My thanks are due to Mr. Price for the samples of soil and potatoes, 

 and for kindly giving me his notes on the onion worm ; and to Mr. Seymour 

 for the samples of soil and potatoes supplied on different occasions. 



{To be continued.) 



A NEW PASTURE PLANT FOR VICTORIA. 



BiRDSFOOT Trigonel {Trigonella ornitJwpodioides, L.). 



Alfred J. Eivart, D.Sc, Ph.D., F.L.S., Govern/i/ent Botanist and 

 Professor of Potany in the Melbourne I.hjiversity. 



In the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, Volume XX., p. 87, 

 1907, it was recorded that the Eirdsfoot Trigonel {Trigonella 

 ornithofodioides, L.) had established itself in Victoria as a naturalized 

 alien. The plant is a member of the Leguminoscs, closely allied to the 

 smaller clovers, but differing in the flowers which occur in twos or threes 

 usually, instead of in heads as in the true clover.s. The pod is also longer, 

 projecting beyond the calyx and opening at the end on one side when ripe, 

 so as to resemble a scooj). 



The plant is a native of Western and Southern Europe, although it 

 extends as far north as Denmark. It grows usually in dry, sandy pastures, 

 •especially near the sea, and flowers early in summer. In Europe, it grows 

 as an annual with thickly matted spreading stems rarely more than two or 

 three inches long. In Victoria, especially in some parts of Gippsland 

 where it has recently spread, it seems to grow larger, sometimes attaining 

 a foot in height and the tufts often being five to six inches in height and 

 breadth. A single plant may weigh one-half to one ounce when fresh, 

 though usually less than this. It is, therefore, quite equal to some of the 

 medium sized clovers. 



When grazed, the root appears to last for more than a year if the 

 ground is not too dry. If not too closely cropped, it seeds freely and dies 

 down in January. Up till that time it yields a fair amount of feed for 

 stock. It has no injurious or objectionable qualities, and its spread is to 

 be encouraged on all dry, sandy or unimproved natural pastures. It is 

 doubtful, however, whether it would repay cultivation, and it is certainly 

 inferior to lucerne, sainfoin and the larger clovers as regards yield per acre 

 and permanence as a pasture plant. It is, however, worth noting as one 

 of the few naturalized aliens whose " accidental " entry into Victoria 

 appears likely to do more good than harm. The fact that it is often found 

 growing among Strawberry Clover suggests that its seed originally came 

 in mixed with imported clover seed. Its larger size and luxuriance in^ 

 "Victoria is the result of our favourable climate and rich soils. 



