219 





medium dryness close to the sea." About this time Lewis- 

 grown seed appears to have germinated fairly well and all spare 

 seed was sent to Messrs. Lawson of Edinburgh. The onl\ 

 sample in the Kew Museums was procured from that firm and 

 was from the 1850 crop. Some years later when seeds were 

 required to send to Australia there was a difficulty in obtaining 

 them fully developed or fertile. On several occasions between 

 1850 and 1888 plants were sent from Stornoway to Kew for 

 distribution to other places. In 1888, however, the farm- 

 grown plants had disappeared from Lewis owing to the apathy 

 of the farmers and their objection to planting a grass that 

 required cultivation and could only be fed to stock in a cut 

 state, through the animals killing the plant when allowed to 

 graze upon land w 7 here it was planted. The plants obtained in 

 1888 were from the private garden of Sir James Matheson at 

 Stornoway, and some were sent to Prof. Hartog at Cork, who 



reported the 



grass was doing well on 



drained bog at Dunmanway, In 1889 Prof. Hartog received 

 seeds direct from the Falkland Islands which seem to have grown 

 well in Ireland. He sent seeds to Kew and other places which 

 do not appear to have caused later comment. As a matter of, 

 fact the grass does not grow well at Kew; it never becomes 

 vigorous and soon dies out. It apparently must have a compara- 

 tively cool climate and a peaty soil. As Mr. Scobie attained a 



egree 



mav 



a r 



regarding the behaviour of the <*rass in Lewis. He says: 

 The seed was sown in a square plot of deep brown moss of 

 medium dryness close to the sea. The moss, scarcely yielding 

 anything previous to its being turned over and enclosed, was 

 delved and cut into small pieces with the spade, and the seed- 

 sprinkled in and roughly covered with a rake, and trampled at 

 the same time with the feet. The second year the stools were 

 almost as strong as the third, though it is allowed this grass 

 only attains maturity the third year, it cast seed the second and 

 third years. Three acres were delved over, of the same deep 

 moss, in spring, 1847, to the depth of 12 in., and after it was 

 packed with a hoe, a sprinkling of guano applied, and single 

 plants dibbled in 3 ft. 4 in. apart. The whole of this prepared 

 moss is drained 3 ft. deep and 20 ft. apart, being moss drains. 

 .... I think the moss for the Tussac should be delved over 

 in January, and a light spading of moss thrown over the surface, 

 out of the" bottom of the trench, to keep out the sun from drying- 

 up the moss too much. February March and April are most 

 advisable for planting. May and June having proved too late 



dry. Plants supplied with seaweed manure are greener in 



the leaf and thriving better than the rest. Some failure 

 occurred from wet rising from below in the moss, and also from 

 imperfect drainage, and from drought, the peat being liable 

 to became very hard in summer. Seaweed spread over the 

 surface of the ground in summer is an advantage.' * 



According to a Kew record dated 1877,* the plants on Sir 



# 



Kew Report, 1877, p»Sl. 



