268 



Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. 



10 May, 1919. 



hrought it from Europe. The grass flourislied on a paddock with heavy 

 clay soil, and grew so vigorously that it was soon found impossible on 

 this one ])articular paddock to got payable crops of wheat. Consequently 

 it was thrown out and stocked until September each year, and then closed 

 up for seed, then cut, and afterwards threshed with an ordinary steam 

 thresher. 



This process was repeat-ed for four or five years only, apparently with- 

 out checking the grass. Among those who secured seed from this source 

 were Messrs. J. Dart, G. Batson, and S. E. Schnaars, of iSThill; Mr. Mil- 

 bourne, senior, "Ailsa," Warracknabeal; and Mr. Franklin, Minyip. Pro- 

 minent in spreading the grass was a Mr. ITrbhans, a contract surveyor, 

 who had seen it at ^oradjuha, and afterwards spoke of it in terms of high 

 enthnsiasm to a number of Wimmera and Malice farmers. Mr. Milbourne 



A Paddock of " Wimmera " Rye-grass at Minyip. 



(Photograph taken mid-November, 1018.) 



Tlie paddock had been heavily stocked till end of August, and then closed up 



for seed. 



secured a bag of seed, for which h(> paid a guinea, and which Mr. TJrbhans 

 carted overland 50 miles to him. Mr. Milbourne sowed this grass alongside 

 a number of others he was testing, and it rapidly proved itself superior 

 to all others tried. This was about 25 years ago. Just before the 1902 

 drought, Messrs. McDougal, of Minyip, obtained a bag of " perennial " 

 rye-grass seed from a Melbourne seed merchant, but, although it is an 

 annual, and resembles the Noradjuha sam])les, its original source is so- 

 far indefinite. Very probably it came from Noradjuha. 



The spread of these original sowings has been in some cases pheno- 

 menal. For instance, at Messrs. McDougal's, from the original 5-acrc 

 paddock on which the grass was sown, it has now spread over at least 

 3,000 acres in a north-easterly direction. At " Ailsa," Warracknab-^al., 



