INTRODUCTION. xi 



them. The life history of these native fungoid growths is well worth studying 

 by specialists, if only to show what their effects are upon animals. The 

 following is a list of the native grasses which I have seen badly affected with 

 parasitic fungi: Aristida ramosa, B. Er., " Three- awned spear grass"; 

 Chloris truncata, B. Br., "Star" or " windmill grass" ; Eragroslis leptostachya, 

 Steud, " Love grass " ; 'Eriocliloa punctata, Hamilt, " Early spring grass " \ 

 Hierocliloa rarifl-ora, Hook, " Sweet-scented holygrass " ; Panicum effusum, 

 B. Br., " Branched panick grass " ; Panicum mitckeUii, " Mitchell's panick 

 grass " ; Paspalum scrobiculatum, Linn., " Ditch millet " ; Sporobolus indicus, 

 B. Br. ; and the variety elongahts, " Parramatta " or "Tussock grass." 



I have been often asked whether I favour the annual burning off of grasses. 

 Except in three cases, I am decidedly against burning off, for the following 

 reasons : 1. It destroys millions of grass seeds which occasional good seasons 

 may have brought to maturity, thereby destroying the only natural means 

 for the reproduction of the grasses. A fire also destroys many valuable 

 salsolaceous and other plants. 2. After burning off, if favourable weather 

 ensues, new growth is made quickly, and sheep turned into such pasturage 

 eat greedily of it, which often gives them what is commonly termed the 

 scours or diarrhoea, which sometimes becomes chronic, and of course has 

 such a weakening effect upon them that many die. ]N~or is this all, for in 

 biting out the young growth from the heart of the grass, much of the latter 

 is often brought with it, which, of course, partially destroys it. If a fire 

 should take place, sheep should never be turned into the pasture until it has 

 made considerable growth, though cattle may be turned in without any 

 serious damage being done, for they never eat grasses so low as do sheep. I 

 may here mention the fact that sheep destroy the natural grasses and herbage 

 in much less time than horses, and the latter much sooner than cattle. 



I am in favour of burning off annually under three such conditions as the 

 following : (1st) Where grasses and other herbage are much diseased with 

 parasitic fungi ; (2nd) where there is a predominance of " spear," cork- 

 screw," "wire," and " three-awned spear" grasses; and (3rd) where rank- 

 growing grasses are abundant, which is generally on wet or undraiiied land, 

 for along with this coarse growth many noxious plants and fungoid pests 

 are destroyed (very rarely good pasture plants, other than grasses, will grow 

 in such situations) . Pasturage treated in this way becomes more healthy, 

 the fire acting as a disinfectant, and contagious diseases disappear. Grasses 

 that grow in low, damp situations are often a valuable stand-by for stock 

 during protracted droughts. 



The practice of wholesale and indiscriminate ringbarking, I feel certain, 

 exercises a most injurious effect upon both animals and the herbage which 

 they browse upon. Do not let it be understood that I condemn judicious 

 ringbarking, because experience has proved the beneficial effects of it when 

 carried out in a systematic way. What I wish to impress upon pastoralists 

 is the necessity for leaving large groups of trees here and there as we see 

 them in English parks, but, of course, on a much more extensive scale. This 

 would not only give shelter to animals against the fierce heat of the tropical 

 sun in summer, and the other extreme in winter, but would be a means of 

 checking bush fires and mitigate the blighting effects of the hot parching 

 winds that periodically blow over the interior, besides forming a pleasing 

 feature in the landscape. 



Having considered the state of the pastures and pasture plants, I shall 

 now review the grasses and salsolaceous plants (salt bushes) and offer 

 suggestions which I think would make a decided improvement in, and help 



