86 AUSTRALIAN GRASSES AND PASTURE PLANTS 



only a small yield, but after that it produces abundant annual 

 crops of nutritious, leafy herbage greedily eaten by stock 

 which thrive and fatten on it. If cut just at the flowering 

 period Meadow Fox Tail can be made into excellent hay. 

 This grass withstands extreme cold, and being one of the earli- 

 est to develop leaves in spring, is a welcome addition to the 

 pasture herbage. 



Paspalum dilatatum is a botanical name with which the 

 man on the land has become familiar, and even children on 

 a dairy farm pronounce it as correctly as if the words were part 

 of the English language. In the dairying districts this grass 

 is largely cultivated, and is particularly suitable feed for milch 

 cattle. It thrives in the warmer coast districts in deep, rich 

 soil where a good rainfall can be depended upon, but should 

 be kept well eaten down to prevent it growing into objec- 

 tionable tussocks, for in that condition it is most difficult to 

 eradicate. 



Paspalum virgatum is a more erect and coarser-growing 

 grass than the one previously described, and will thrive under 

 cooler and drier climatic conditions. Under ordinary cultiva- 

 tion it produces a large amount of herbage which is good stock 

 feed. If this grass is cut when in flower it can be made into 

 good hay, and probably would be useful for ensilage. 



Perennial Rye (Lolium perenne) is the most widely and 

 best known of all the exotic grasses introduced into Australia. 

 There are quite a number of varieties of it computed by some 

 European and American authorities at more than fifty 

 some being much superior to others. The Italian Rye Grass 

 (Lolium italicum of some botanists) is one of its many varieties. 

 It is an excellent pasture grass, growing from eighteen inches 

 to two feet high or more, doing best in the cooler and colder 

 districts, fairly well on average soils, and thriving on rich, 

 alluvial, strong land. Under favourable conditions it pro- 



