VI PREFACE. 



the production of high-class wool, also in the matter of the frozen meat 

 export trade, it becomes of vital importance to the population that more 

 attention should be paid to our pastures than has hitherto been the case. 

 That we have far more valuable native grasses in this country than any yet 

 introduced I have abundant proof, having experimented on upwards of 

 100 species of European, Asiatic, African, American, and Australian grasses, 

 to test their true qualities by comparison. In these trials the bulk of the 

 Australian grasses yielded more forage and withstood the drought much 

 better than did the exotics. If all the money that has been sent out of the 

 Colony to import exotic grass seeds (which often prove a failure in this 

 land of drought and flood) had been expended on the cultivation, or even 

 systematic conservation, of our native grasses and other herbage, we should 

 not periodically hear of thousands of cattle and sheep dying of starvation 

 during every recurring drought. 



As far as is at present known there are 197 species and thirty-three well- 

 defined varieties of grasses indigenous in New South Wales. Out of this 

 number there are sixteen species which are dreaded by pastoralists on 

 account of their long seed awns or sharp pointed leaves ; not a very for- 

 midable array it must be admitted, still of sufficient importance to make their 

 position felt and somewhat dreaded in the country. 



The Honorable S. Smith, Minister for Mines and Agriculture, has given 

 instructions for the preparation of an illustrated monograph of the grasses of 

 New South Wales, which will appear in the Agricultural Gazette. Those 

 persons reading this little work can assist in this most useful undertaking 

 by forwarding good specimens of grasses, with notes, and locality where 

 collected, to the Director of Agriculture, Phillip-street, Sydney, to whom 

 also any botanical specimens, which should be in flower and fruit, may be 

 sent for identification. 



The Department has now in hand the preparation of a list of all the 

 introduced weeds, with instructions given as to the best means of exter- 

 minating them. And at no distant date a list with descriptive matter will be 

 published of all the supposed poisonous plants, indigenous in New South 

 Wales. Pastoralists, farmers, and others, can materially assist the Depart- 

 ment to carry out this work to a successful issue. 



At the end of this little work will be found an appendix, containing a 

 description of the exotic grasses, that have become acclimatised, and now 

 are apparently wild in the Colony. 



A few notes on collecting grasses : A specimen of grass, to be perfect, 

 should have roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit (seeds). Fragmentary 

 specimens, such as leaves without flowers, or flowers without leaves, are of 



