PASTURE HERBS 51 



carrot is an exceedingly good forage plant, to which most kinds 

 of pasture animals are partial, particularly sheep, which thrive 

 on it. This herb improves much under cultivation, and 

 yields a larger bulk of herbage than is usually seen under the 

 best natural conditions. It produces an abundance of seed, 

 which germinates readily after rain, and to these circumstances 

 may be attributed its extensive growth in the interior. Carrot 

 burrs, covered with hooked bristles, are much disliked by the 

 sheep owner, because they adhere to the fleece with great 

 tenacity, and therefore, are troublesome to get out of the 

 wool. 



Native Lucerne (Psoralea tenax) is a member of the pea 

 flowering family, with slender branching stems, growing from 

 one foot to two feet high or more, divided leaves and small, 

 usually blue, flowers disposed on long stems. It has long, 

 very strong roots, which penetrate the earth from five to seven 

 feet or more, and thus enable the plant to endure a phenomenal 

 amount of dry weather without its growth being checked to 

 any serious extent. The Native Lucerne is widely distributed 

 over the eastern portion of the continent, and many pastoral- 

 ists regard it as an excellent forage plant. Most herbivora are 

 fond of its young succulent stems and leaves, and seem to 

 do well on them. A very closely allied leguminous plant 

 (Lotus corniculatus) , widely distributed on the Australian 

 continent and in Tasmania, has long been regarded by ex- 

 perienced stockmen as a valuable forage plant. There are 

 other pea flowering herbs belonging to different genera and 

 occurring in more or less abundance in many parts of Australia, 

 that are very good forage plants, and are largely eaten by all 

 herbivora. 



Native Plantain (Plantago varia) has a long tap root and 

 leaves varying from less than six inches to one foot long. It 

 is found over a great part of Australia, and on immense areas 

 in the interior it is fairly abundant. This plant grows on both 



