36 
months from seed; the seed scatters easily and freely, readily 
producing a volunteer crop. The yield of seed is remarkable heavy 
[rendering it cheap and easily obtainable]. The fact that the 
farmers appreciate the crop is practically illustrated by the requests 
received for permission to retain, and pay cash for, Teff-seed which 
is due to the Department as a return for the seed originally 
supplied.” 
In February, 1905, my then Assistant, Mr. Hugh C. Sampson, 
B.Sc., writing inthe Transvaal Agricultural Journal (V ol. iii, p. 547), 
noted that Teff sown at the Botanical Experiment Station on 
November 26th, 1904, was cut for seed on February 20th, twelve 
~ weeks from sowing, and gave a yield of 10,285 lbs. of green forage 
per acre, having had only 7°12 inches of rain during the growing 
period. “Though it has only been cut two days, the roots are 
already starting new growth for a second cutting.” 
In my Report for 1905-06 (p. 112) I noted that “ out of twenty- 
two reported co-operative trials all but two were unqualified 
successes, and the failures were due to locusts and hail; farmers 
cannot gee too highly of this crop. One of them writes :— ‘ This 
can no longer be looked upon as an experiment; its success is 
assured.’ The consequent demand for seed is greater than the 
supply, owing to the fact that nowhere else than in Abyssinia has 
this become a commercial crop. By next season, however, I expect 
that all difficulty in this direction will have been overcome, as so 
much ground is being sown down to Teff this year.” 
In my Report for 1906-07 (p. 175) my Assistant at that time, Mr. 
H. Godfrey Mundy, reported that out of 28 co-operative experiments, 
carried out in all parts of the Transvaal, 21 were entirely successful ; 
in one case a yield of 4 tons of hay per acre being reported. It was 
also highly spoken of, in several cases, as a smother-crop for weeds. 
A progressive farmer in the Wakerstroom District wrote: “ It is 
a grand stand-by at the end of the winter and I don’t expect to be 
without it in the future. All stock are fond of it and do well on it 
if cut before the straw gets strong. I am now selling seed.” From 
the Ermelo District a farmer wrote: “I have grown Teff most 
successfully and have supplied farmers round about me with over 
100 Ibs. of seed free! ” 
During this period, the demand for seed almost exceeded the 
supply and the price ranged from ts. up to 5s. per Ib. With 
increased production, this fell to 9d., 7d., 6d., 5d., and finally 4d. 
During 1911 I had offers of seed from farmers which totalled over 
,000 Ibs. ; and this year (1912), one farmer alone has produced 
60,000 Ibs., which he is selling at 4d. per Ib. in 100 Ib. lots or 
5d. retail. 
But although Teff took with the progressive Transvaal farmer, 
from the start, the hay did not become a commercial article till some 
‘years later. As is usually the case with new farm crops, Teff hay 
did not sell well when first offered. But it was first grown for farm 
consumption, and only the surplus crop was put on the Johannesburg 
market. I well remember how disappbtnted | IT was at the reports of 
the earlier sales ; they brought no more than ordinary rough veld- 
bedding, and were in fact bought for the same purpose! But that 
