32 AUSTRALIAN GRASSES AND PASTURE PLANTS 



name and describe this grass for him he wrote to me from the 

 Blue Mountains, New South Wales, giving his experience of 

 it in the following terms : ' ' After an experience of upwards 

 of ten years at ' Euchora, ' Springwood, I feel justified in stating 

 that the above-named grass is one of the most valuable of all 

 the Australian grasses. Mixed with other native grasses, it 

 grows freely on my land, and is greedily devoured by the cattle 

 in preference to all other kinds. The milk produced by the 

 cows which feed on these grasses is particularly rich and 

 makes excellent butter. The growth in places protected from 

 the cattle is so great as to supply me in ordinary seasons with 

 an abundance of hay for the winter, and both cows and horses 

 seem almost more fond of this than of the grass in its green 

 state. ' ' The seeds usually ripen in summer and autumn. 



Meadow Rice Grass (Microloena stipoides) is found in all 

 the States of the Commonwealth from the coast to a consider- 

 able distance inland, but is much more plentiful in the former. 

 It has a strong root system which enables the grass to with- 

 stand a long period of dry weather without its growth being 

 checked to any serious extent. Although occurring on various 

 classes of country, it yields the greatest bulk of herbage in 

 rich, meadow land, where it often forms a large percentage of 

 the herbage. Under favourable conditions it sometimes 

 attains a height of three feet, but generally it grows from one 

 foot to two feet high, and may easily be recognised by its vivid 

 green leaves, which it retains throughout the year in ordinary 

 seasons. It is a superior pasture grass, its rich herbage being 

 greatly relished by all herbivora, and even under close grazing 

 it will maintain a dense turf. If cut when in flower it makes 

 excellent hay. The seeds, which are freely produced, usually 

 ripen during the summer and autumn. 



I have inspected pastures^where the ordinary rye grass 

 Lolium perenne) had been sown for permanent grazing and 



