22 AUSTRALIAN GRASSES AND PASTURE PLANTS 



cultivation, and as it freely produces seed in summer and 

 autumn, there would be no difficulty in getting the necessary 

 quantity for sowing. There are a few varieties of this grass, but 

 their feeding qualities are much the same as the typical form. 

 Branching Panick Grass (Panicum effusum) is found in 

 all the Australian States from the coast to the far interior, 

 and in some districts very plentifully. There are two distinct 

 forms of this grass ; the typical one is hairy, and the other 

 quite smooth. The former occurs mostly in the coast districts 

 and the latter inland. They usually grow from one foot to 

 two feet high, and during the warmer months in ordinary 

 seasons produce a quantity of leafy growth for a considerable 

 time before they develop their flower stems a decided ad- 

 vantage in a pasture grass. The herbage of both these grasses 

 is much relished by stock, sheep being particularly fond of 

 and thriving on it. The seeds usually ripen during the summer 

 and autumn. 



Brown Top (Pollinia fulva) is a very superior pasture grass 

 found in all the Australian States and generally on good land 

 both in the coast districts and in the interior, but is much 

 more common in the latter. To many pastoralists it is known 

 as ' ' Sugar Grass ' ' a name given to it on account of the sweet- 

 ness of its young stems and leaves, but stockmen more gener- 

 ally call it ' ' Brown Top. ' ' It sometimes attains a height of 

 four feet, but usually it is not so tall, and may be easily rec- 

 ognised in the pastures by its flowers being covered with rich 

 brown silky hairs, making it conspicuous amongst the sur- 

 rounding vegetation. During the warmer months, in an 

 ordinary season, it produces a great bulk of sweet, nutritious 

 herbage much relished by all herbivora. Under experimental 

 cultivation it proved a most prolific grass, and the leafy 

 herbage was much superior to that usually seen in the pastures. 

 It made excellent hay when cut just as the flower stems 



