316 ESPARTO GRASS. 



tation of very dry countries, where drought is constant 

 for the greater pare of every year. So also with 

 some of the grasses ; they will thus penetrate the 

 soil of such localities to extraordinary depths with 

 hair-like rootlets, resembling delicate threads. The 

 desert Haifa, or Esparto grass (Stipa Tenacissima) 

 for instance, will do so; so also in our own country, 

 will the well-known " bent" or pea-reed grass (Arundo 

 Arcnarid] which grows on pure sand dunes near the 

 sea- side. There really seems no practical limit to which 

 we can say this grass, and another, Elymus Arenarius, 

 usually found with it, will not penetrate through sand. 

 The extraordinary depths to which it can sometimes 

 be seen to do so where falls have occurred in sand cliffs, 

 almost exceed belief. 



Mr. Doughty, an English traveller, who had years 

 of experience of desert life among the wild Bedouin 

 tribes of Arabic deserts, has come to conclusions 

 identical with our own in the matter of tree life 

 in very dry regions, in connection with the existence 

 of subterraneous stores of wate:\ These opinions he 

 probably formed from information acquired among the 

 Arabs, who are keen observers of Nature. " Every- 

 where," he says, "we see some growth of Acacias, 

 signs doubtless of groundwater, not far under " * 



We have gone at some length into these matters, 

 because of what we conceive to be the great importance 

 of coming to a right understanding about such questions 

 in our South African and Australian colonies. At the 

 same time the necessity of caution in venturing into 

 thirst lands is so evident, that we make no apology 



* Arabia Deserta, by Charles 'M. Doughty, 1882, Vol. ii, p. 462. 



