592 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 
bromoides, Lappago racemosa, and Microlena stipoides. Before an 
attempt is made at the systematic cultivation of our indigenous 
fodder-plants and grasses, it will be necessary to have some data 
to work upon. For the benefit of those persons who desire to 
enter upon their cultivation, I shall divide them into groups, and 
give a synopsis of those species which, after a long study, I am led 
to believe will be most suited to the requirements for general 
pasture and hay-making, cultivating for grain, species suitable 
for wet and undrained soils, also for dry soils, and for binding the 
littoral sands. I have already mentioned those species most 
suitable to cultivate for ensilage. 
Those species suitable for general pasture and hay-making are 
—Asgropyron scabrum, Andropogon bombycinus, A. ertanthoides, 
A. intermedius, A. pertusus, A. refractus, A. sericeus, Anthisteria 
ciliata, A. membranacea, Astrebla elymoides, A. pectinata, A. 
triticoides, Chloris acicularis, C. truncata, C. ventricosa, Chryso- 
pogon gryllus, Cynodon dactylon, Danthonia longifolia, D. pallida, 
D. pilosa, D. semiannularis, Dichelachne crinita, Eleusine egyptica, 
Eragrostis brown, E. pilosa, Ertochloa annulata, E. punctata, 
Microlena stipoides, Panicum decompositum, P. distachyum, P. 
divaricatissimum, P. effusum, P. flavidum, P. leucophaum, P. 
macractinum, P. melananthum, P reversum, P. trachyrachis, P. 
prolutum, Poa cespitosa, and Setarta glauca. 
GRASSES TO CULTIVATE FOR GRAIN.—It is a most remarkable 
fact that the native country of wheat, oats, and barley should be 
entirely unknown. Many eminent botanists are of opinion that 
all our cereals are artificial productions, obtained accidentally, 
but retaining their habits, which have become fixed in the long 
course of ages, and the following observations seem to bear out 
this theory. It has been observed that when oats are grown on 
poor land, and shed their grain, the progeny will, if left unculti- 
vated for a generation or two, revert to the wild oat, but that 
cultivation wili bring the grain back to its proper standard. 
gilops ovata is said to be the origin of all our cultivated wheats, 
and as a convincing proof of this it is a remarkable fact that this 
genus of grass is subject to the attacks of the same species of 
parasitic fungi which affect the wheat crops of the present day, 
and render them somewhat uncertain in some districts during 
some seasons. When these plants can be so changed with cul- 
tivation as to afford us useful grain, it seems a most feasible thing 
that out of three hundred and sixty species found on this conti- 
nent some could be cultivated that would yield good grain, with- 
out its attendant drawbacks in the way of parasitic fungi, 
especially on the arid central plains of Australia, where wheat 
and other cereals would not mature grain, on account of the great 
climatic heat. During my experiments I observed that the 
grains of some of our grasses developed very much under cultiva- 
tion, more especially in one species, Astrebla triticoides (var. 
