10 May, 1919. J " Wimmem" Rye-Grass. 273 



Habits. 



The grass is at home on both the black and on the red Wimmera soils, 

 though it is stated to do better on the red clays than on the friable black 

 soils, the yields of seed being generally several bushels heavier on the 

 red ground than on the black. 



While the heaviest growths of all are obtained in loAV-lying crab- 

 holey country, the bulk of the land referred to in this article is average 

 Wimmera and Mallee land respectively'. 



. At Galaquil and Beulah the grass was found thriving on red Mallee 

 loam overlying a clay subsoil, while, according to Mr. J. Dart and 

 others, it does £qually well on very light sandy Mallee soils, provided 

 there is a clay subsoil. A case was quoted by Mr. Dart where the grass 

 on the property of S. Schnaars, Woorack West, has arrested the progress 

 of a drifting sandhill. 



According to Mr. A. W. Milbourne, the grass in the course of a few 

 years completely overran a large bare salt patch on his property, presum- 

 ably by gradually mulching the edge of the patch, a process which would 

 prevent further evaporation and at the same time produce a medium for 

 the germination of the seed. 



The period of growth of the grass in the Wimmera and Mallee 

 is similar to that of the cereals. Growth starts from the seed 

 with the first autumn rains, and in the average year the plant 

 may be fed green from April to December, while dry feed is 

 available during the remainder of the summer and well into the autumn 

 months. The growth in the spring is remarkably vigorous. The grass 

 generally flowers about the middle of October, and it evidently pollinates 

 very freely, since it is stated that clouds of pollen may be seen rolling 

 away from any good paddock of the grass about that time. 



In an average year in the Wimmera (16-inch rainfall) the grass is 

 stated to grow about 2 feet high, and in good years up to 3 feet. This 

 year, on a 14-iuch rainfall, it grew about 20-24 inches high. 



Mr. II. McDougal, Minyip, and others make excellent hay from the 

 grass, which, when properly cured, is stated to be preferred by horses 

 and dairy cows to oaten or wheaten hay. As compared with cereal hay, 

 there is an immediate response, says Mr. McDougal, in the milk yield 

 of the dairy cows when supplied with this hay. The samples of grass 

 hay seen at Mr. McDougal's certainly were most aromatic, and were 

 sweet to the taste. It is important " to cut the grass just after the 

 flowering stage, when the grass is turning colour, otherwise it will 

 become rather hard and coarse. Besides hay, the grass makes capital 

 ensilage. It proves tough cutting with the binder, and is best cut witu 

 a mower." 



A characteristic property of the grass is to fall down shortly after it 

 is ripe, and this, together with its propensity of firmly holding the grain, 

 enables it, in the words of Mr. J. Dart, Nhill, " to make its own hay," 

 a phrase which was meant to emphasize the fact that the dried layered 

 grass is, until bleaclied by autumn rains, still excellent sheep feed, 

 because the presence of the grain makes the straw both palatable and 

 nutritious. 



The capacity of the grass to seed freely under normal Wimmera con- 

 ditions is most marked. For instance, in 3917, a paddock of 140 acres 



