307 
the meat and milk of such cattle has not any taint or suggestion 
of the characteristic odour of the grass, which is not unlike that 
of curry powder. The properties which render it objectionable 
to the tsetse fly are not only the strong odour of the viscid drops 
of oil exuded by the hairs on the leaf sheaths but also that they 
act in the capacity of a “ fly-catcher,” and as Mr. Dawe remarks 
if a big fly like the tsetse be ensnared, how much more would 
perties are only noticeable when the leaves are bruised, has 
proved of service, he maintains that experimental planting of 
Efwatakala, in which the aromatic and viscid oil is exuded 
and exposed, is well worthy of serious consideration. 
At Mr. Dawe’s request, the Rev. R. H. Graham, of San Sal- 
vador, forwarded seeds of Efwatakala to Kew and from the plants 
raised the structure of the oil-containing hairs has been examined 
and the oil has been analysed. (Plate 1.) Mr. Dawe also procured 
a small quantity of seed from Colombia,* some of which he took 
with him to Sierra Leone, the remainder, at the instance of Kew, 
was forwarded through the Secretary of State for the Colonies 
to Nigeria and Uganda, where it is hoped a sufficient stock of 
grass will be raised so that a series of experiments as to its efficacy 
may be carried out. 
Dr. Stapf has examined the grass critically and has supplied 
the following notes :— 
M. minutiflora, Beauv. became first known from Brazil. The 
earliest records from tropical Africa were supplied by Welwitsch’s 
collections of 1854-1857, but they were not published until 
1899. Welwitsch discovered the grass in the districts of Golungo 
Alto and Pungo Andongo in Central Angola. Next it was found 
on Kilimanjaro (first record 1884), on Ruwenzori (1893) and near. 
Yaunde in the Cameroons (1890-1894). Quite recent records 
established its occurrence on the Ivory Coast, in Lagos, the 
Portuguese Congo and in or near the Mabira Forest in Uganda 
_ Welwitsch describes it as growing in dense masses in Golungo, 
and Dawe found it to be very common on the Nkanda plateau 
REST oa cera ee Ce 
._ .* Seed supplied by Mr. Dawe was sown in the open at Kew this year 
in June and attained a height of nearly two feet before it was killed off 
by _the autumn frosts. At times its characteristic odour was very 
noticeable, 
AZ 
