148 



.For the making of lawns, the South African species 

 Cynodon dactylon, C. incomplete, Stenotaplirum glabra ni, 

 Dactyloctenium aegyptiacum, are extensively used, as well as 

 certaiu introduced species. The Kikuyu (Pennisetum longi- 

 stylum) is likely to prove most useful for this purpose. 

 Agrostis .stolonifera and Poa pratensis are also sometimes used. 



There are several other grasses, in addition to those 

 mentioned above, which are being grown in S. Africa or 

 experimented with by the Department of Agriculture of the 

 Union, e.g., Sudan grass (Andropogon sorghum var.), the 

 Gramas (Bouteloua oligostachya, B. curtipendula), Indian 

 Buffalo grass (Panicum miliacium), Pearl Millet (Pennisetum 

 typhoideum), Elephant grass or Napier Fodder (Pennisetum 

 purpurea in), but since these and the others have been fully 

 dealt with in a series of articles by Mr. Melle in the "Farmers' 

 Weekly," which have been reprinted and distributed separ- 

 ately, further reference need not be made to them here. 



It may be urged that more attention should be paid to the 

 native South African species. It seems rather strange that 

 such a valuable grass as Clitoris gayana should first meet with 

 the appreciation it desires in Australia, and not in the country 

 of its origin. The great variations in our South African 

 climatic conditions should always be kept in view, For all 

 the drier parts, and the region of winter rainfall the suit- 

 ability of the various South Western species described above 

 should be considered. It was partly with the object of calling- 

 attention to this aspect of the subject that the ecology of 

 Vanthonia purpurea has been so fully dealt with. Since so 

 many of the grasses with secund false spikes are known to be 

 good grasses, it might be well to investigate the worth of one 

 or two of them about which little is known, e.g., Ctenium 

 concinnuin. If there is anything in the idea of correlations 

 existing between certain morphological characters and nutri- 

 tive value, such correlations may be discovered by a careful 

 comparison of various grasses which are known to be valuable. 



Soil Erosion. The peculiar topographical and climatic 

 conditions of most of South Africa lead to a relatively rapid 

 rate of soil erosion. Much of it is entirely beyond the control 

 of man, but, as a matter of fact, his influence has been rather 

 to increase it than diminish it. The burning of the grass has 

 very definite effects (1) by sending back the plant succession, 

 and establishing primitive open types of Grassveld, which do 



