332 Transactions. — Botany. 



0. F. Thornton, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona : — 

 "It is not cultivated, but is rapidly spreading on the dry 



ranges — i.e., valleys and mountain-sides — and is one of the 

 very best wild grasses, either green or dry." 



J. C. Tiffany, San Marcial, Socorro County, New 

 Mexico : — 



'•There is very little in this county; what there is has 

 been brought in the wool of sheep from California. It grows 

 well in uplands or low, and is spreading rapidly. It is excel- 

 lent feed — one of the very best. I am trying to get a large 

 quantity of the seed to sow on my ranges. Can you inform 

 me how it may be obtained ? I would scatter it in localities 

 over 20,000 acres if I could get the seed at a reasonable 

 cost." 



And now let us hear a few words from the opposite side — 

 again exemplifying the wide difference between practical know- 

 ledge and theoretical fireside speculation : — 



Dr. A. Gattinger, Nashville, Tenn. : — 



"It is not known here, but I have seen it in Germany. 

 It is a vile weed, and ought not to be introduced into cultiva- 

 tion. I cannot understand how such a thing can be seriously 

 spoken of when so many really good native plants are totally 

 ignored." — [Lac. cit., p. 36.) 



In conclusion, I would observe that I had several objects 

 in view in writing this paper ; particularly,— 



1. To bring to notice the remarkable abnormal early 

 flowering of the young offshoots of Agave. 



2. To show the many great and beneficial uses made of 

 that plant, and of another equally strange-looking one, by 

 ancient as well as by modern races of men. 



3. To call particular attention to the interesting and well- 

 established fact of the ancient Mexicans having long cultivated 

 several varieties of those two wild endemic plants (Agave and 

 Opuntia), together with others, as banana and vanilla, as an 

 additional reason for believing in the great antiquity of that 

 nation; and bo, pari passu, iov reasonably concluding the same 

 of the Maori people, from their having cultivated for ages 

 many varieties of their flax {PJiormiwii) and " sw^eet potatoes" 

 — kumara {Ipomaa chrysorhiza). 



4. To acquaint our sheep- and cattle-breeders (several 

 being members of our society) how badly off for grass those of 

 their calling are in those Southern States of America, and what 

 very strange plants are consequently largely and successfully 

 used by them for forage. 



5. To place on record my (old) belief that not a few of 

 those plants which we have long considered as mere weeds, and 

 worthless, may yet become of great value for beneficial uses. 



