594 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 
they are comparatively harmless to the animals’ eyes, though they 
may get into the wool. Unfortunately, the grasses that bear 
these long awns are not so freely eaten when they become old by 
cattle or sheep as most other species are, consequently they grow 
and produce seed almost undisturbed. I have noted, however, 
that when these grasses are brought under cultivation their seeds 
and awns lose much of the rigidity common to uncultivated ones. 
After some years of observation I have arrived at the conclusion 
that the following species are most to be dreaded, on account of 
their long seed awns, or sharp pointed leaves :—A7zstida arenaria, 
A. behriana, A. calycina, A. depressa, A. hygrometrica, A. leptopoda, 
A. ramosa, A. stipoides, A. vagans, Heteropogon contortus, HF. 
insignis, Pollinia irritans, Stipa aristiglumis, S. flavescens, S. 
micrantha, S. pubescens, Stipa scabra, S. semibarbata, S. setacea, 
Friodia cunninghami, T. irritans, T. mitchellt, T. mucrostachya, 
T. procera, T. pungens, and Eriachne squarrosa, thus making in 
all twenty-six species, which is a little over seven per cent. of 
those recorded for the whole of Australia ; not a very formidable 
array, it must be admitted, still of sufficient importance to make 
their position felt, and somewhat dreaded, by the sheep-owner. 
It has been often asked of me whether I favour the annual 
burning-off of grasses. With three exceptions I am decidedly 
against burning-off, for the following reasons :—Ist. It destroys 
millions of grass-seeds, which an occasional good season may have 
brought to maturity, thereby destroying the only natural means 
for their reproduction. A fire also destroys many valuable 
salsolaceous and other plants, 2nd. Because, after burning-off, if 
favourable weather ensues, new growth is made quickly, and 
sheep turned on to this eat greedily of it, which gives them what 
is commonly termed the scours, or diarrhcea, which often becomes 
chronic, and of course has such a weakening effect upon them 
that many die. Nor is this all, for when biting out the young 
growth from the heart of the plant, the sheep often takes the 
whole plant out by the roots and thus destroys it. If a fire should 
take place, sheep should never be turned into the pasture until it 
has made considerable growth, though cattle may be turned in 
without any serious damage being done, for they never eat grasses 
so low as do sheep. I may here mention the fact that sheep 
destroy the natural grasses and herbage in much less time than 
horses, and they again much sooner than cattle. 
I am in favour of burning-off annually under such conditions 
as the following :—Ist. Where grasses are much diseased with 
parasitic fungi; 2nd, where there is a predominance of spear- 
grasses; and 38rd, where such rank grasses grow as those I 
described suitable for wet or undrained soils, for along with this 
coarse growth many noxious plants and fungoid pests are 
destroyed. (It is very rarely good pasture plants, other than 
grasses, will grow in such situations). Pasture in these circum- 
