10 May, 1919.] " Wimmera" Rye-Qrass. 271 



Mr. Milbourne, senior, at first harvested the seed, and then assiduously re- 

 sowed it, but later he found it necessary to sow it only on the west of his 

 property — wind storms did the rest. It now covers some thousands of 

 acres in the vicinity. 



That sown by Mr. Franklin has spread over many hundreds of acres 

 on his property, now in the possession of Messrs. Barnes and Young. In 

 Mr. Batson's case the spread has not been great, apparently owing to the 

 heavy stocking received by the small patch sown. It is still present, how- 

 ever, especially in a lucerne patch, even though it is cut repeatedly, and 

 Mr. Batson states that of a number of grass plots put in 25 years ago, this 

 grass and rib grass are the only ones that remain to-day. 



There is evidence that the stock an,d domestic water channels, sheep, 

 and cereal hay have all played their part in the further dissemination of 

 the grass, and numbers of farmers hearing of it, obtained samples in bags, 

 of wheat screenings. But, except at I^Toradjuha, it was apparently not 

 realized that seed could be easily obtained by stripping it, or by the use 

 of mower and thresher. Apparently no extensive distribution of seed 

 took place after Mr. Light ceased to thresh it until two years ago, when, 

 at the suggestion of a Mr. Walters, a 140-acre paddock of the grass at 

 McDougal's, Minyip, was closed up and part threshed and part stripped, 

 with highly successful results. Last year almost 2,000 bushels from this. 

 source were sold as Italian rye grass to seed merchants. This year 

 probably a similar quantity has been disposed of. 



Description of the Grass. 



Specimens of the grass — a photo, of which accompanies the text — 

 were provisionally identified by Professor Ewart, the Government 

 Botanist, as Lolium subulatum — a species of rye grass not hitherto re- 

 corded in Victoria. Professor Hitchcock, of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, to whom samples were referred by Professor Ewart, 

 has confirmed this designation. 



Lolium subulatum is stated to be a native of Southern Europe, and is 

 apparently not recorded as of any economic importance there, so that it 

 is possible that Victorian conditions suit it better than its native habitat. 



Professor Ewart points out that the grass resembles Italian rye grass 

 in being an annual and in possessing the general characteristic of the 

 lolium or rye-grass family. It, however, differs from Italian rye grass in 

 that the characteristic awns attached to the flower of that variety are 

 largely suppressed, and also in possessing a long rigid outer glume 

 (resembling in this respect Lolium Temulentum (Drake)), which, when . 

 the plant is mature, holds the seed tightly. 



The stems of all young specimens so far examined possess jthe usual 

 purplish base characteristic of rye grass. As the plant ripens, this colour 

 extends to the whole of the stem, the effect of which is to give a very 

 definite appearance indeed to a field of the grass at this stage of ripeness. 

 The leaf-bud in the young plant appears to be cylindrical and rolled as in 

 Italian rye. 



The root system is fibrous and extremely vigorous, but is not per- 

 sistent. The grass in the Wimmera and Mallee seeds very freely. The 

 seed is larger and plumper than average samples of rye-grass, and is 

 apparently capable of retaining its vitality for several years in the soil, 

 though this point has yet to be proved. Propagation is by the seed only. 



