750 Jouriia] of AgricuJtvrf. Victoria. [10 Dec, 1917. 



An interesting point is that tliese occasions seem to follow in cycles. 

 Thus the King Island Melilot had a temporary boom some thirty years 

 ago, shortly after its first appearance in Victoria, and a second one 

 comparatively recently, when it was first given the name of King Island 

 Melilot. 



In the case of the Algaroba Bean, the first boom seems to have been 

 forty years ago, and the following correspondence concerning it may be 

 of interest :— 



Eoval Gardens, Kew, May 4, 1877. 

 Sir, 



In reference to my letter. February 20, I am desired by Dr. Hooker to trans- 

 mit to you the encdosed copy of a letter from the Superintendent of the Botanic 

 Garden in Jamaica, pointing out the necessity of caution in the use of tlie pods 

 of the Prosopis piibcscens for the purpose of feeding horses. 



I am, sir, your obedient servant, 



W. T. Thiselton Dyer. 

 \\. R. Guilfoyle, Esq., F.L.S., 



Director, Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. 



Cinchona Plantations, Jamaica, April ti, 1877. 

 Sir, 



I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 20th February last, 

 informing me of the dispatcli of two bags containing about eight lb. of tlie pods 

 of I'rosopis piihcscens, which I have also received, together with printed corre- 

 spondence on the subject of tliese seeds. 



Some 5 per cent, of these seeds germinated; accordingly we will have about 

 100 plants altogether. 



Consequent on the favorable recommendation conveyed in tlie aforesaid corre- 

 spondence of the pods for horse and cattle food, and as only a small proportion 

 of the seeds were in a state fit for germination, I, by way of experiment, gave 

 about a pound of the pods to a fine healthy liorse. In the morning of the third 

 day after the pods were given to the horse the animal was found dead in the 

 stable, and lying in siich a position that left no reasonable doulit that it liad 

 died from bellyache. There are, therefore, strong grounds for believing that the 

 horse thus died from the effects of these pod's. 



I presume you are aware that another s)iecies of this genus, viz., Prosopis 

 juHfiora, a very common plant in .Jamaica, the iioils of which (although a valu- 

 able fodder) when eaten by horses, but especially after rains, are almost invari- 

 ably the means of causing severe bellyaches' and very frequently death. This is 

 attributed to the germination of the seeds in the stomacli of the animal. 



Probably the above remarks may be of service by way of caution to other 

 colonies in which this plant is proposed to be cultivated. 



I am, sir, your obedient servant, 



Robert Thomson. 

 W. T. Thiselton Dyer, Esq., 



. Royal Gardens, Kew. 



Although from the above letter the pods would seem to be dangerous 

 to horses, they appear to he less dangerous in the case of ruminating 

 animals like cattle or sheep. 



To sum up, if the Algaroba Trees are planted for shelters, windbreaks, 

 and ornaments to the landscape they will be useful. If they are sown 

 with the idea of using the pods as cattle food, they will be of some .slight 

 n.se, but the yield will be far less than if the same area of ground had 

 been placed under fodder crops. If they are simply grown to be cut 

 down for feed in time of scarcity, they are taking the place of trees more 

 valuable for this purpose, and will merely represent a very costly and 

 inefficient way of providing reserve stores of fodder. 



