469 



attempts have been made to introduce it into this country as a 

 forage plant, and extravagant claims have been made concerning it. 

 Considering that it is a native of northern Asia, growing along moist 

 river banks upon an island with a cold and very moist climate, and 

 from the recommendations as to its culture by horticulturists who 

 have had experience in growing the plant, it is very doubtful if it 

 will prove a success except in swampy waste lands. The leaves 

 are eaten by cattle, but the small quantity of forage produced and 

 the time which one must wait until production commences, pre- 

 clude its ever being of great value in this country. 



FIG. 27. Mesquite (Prosopts juliftora}. 



Portulaca oleracea (Pusley ; purslane). This well-known weed 

 is of considerable value as an autumn forage plant in the south and 

 south-west. The fleshv leaves and stems are put forth in great 

 abundance during the hottest and driest weather, and it is hard to 

 kill. The same qualities which make it a vile pest in our gardens 



