52 Census of the Grasses of Neio South Wales. 



HOEDEUM MUEINUM, Linn. 

 " Barley grass." 



An annual species, growing from 12 to 18 inches high, which is generally 

 found all over the Colony, and about old stock-yards it is very plentiful. 

 During the winter and early spring months it yields a fair amount of succu- 

 lent herbage, which stock of all kinds will graze upon ; but in the early 

 summer months it gets very hard and wiry ; then stock will not touch it. 

 It is not a desirable grass to have in the pastures, for the seeds, with their 

 adherent awns, which often are an inch long, are troublesome to the salivary 

 glands of sheep and other small herbivora. It is a prolific seed-bearing grass, 

 and the seeds ripen in October and November. 



HOEDEIJM NODOSUM, Linn. 

 " Meadow barley." 



A perennial species, growing about 2 feet high, and only found at a few 

 places in the southern portion of the Colony. Although a taller grass than 

 the last-named species, it is not so coarse, neither are its seed awns so long ; 

 and taken altogether, it is a much superior pasture grass to the last-named 

 species. "When left unmolested for a time, it produces a fair amount of seed, 

 which ripens in November and December. 



KOELEEIA CEISTATA, Pers. 



" Crested-hair grass." 



A perennial species, growing from 1 foot to 3 feet high, which is found only 

 very sparingly in New South Wales. It is not a valuable pasture grass, as it 

 contains little nutriment ; but as it will grow on dry soils and sustain itself 

 during very dry weather, it might prove of value when other herbage is 

 scarce. It produces a fair amount of seed, which ripens in November and 

 December. 



KOELEEIA PHLEOIDES, Pers. 



An annual grass, growing from 6 inches to a foot high, which is only found 

 very sparingly in this Colony. It is of no value from an agricultural point 

 of view, as its herbage soon withers off on the approach of hot weather. It 

 does not produce much seed : what little there is, however, ripens in the early 

 summer months. 



LOLIUM PEEENNE, Linn. 

 " Perennial rye grass." 



This is probably the best known of all agricultural grasses. It has been 

 stated on good authority that it was cultivated in the 17th century, and has 

 been cultivated more or less ever since that time. As might be supposed, there 

 are now quite a number of varieties by some authorities computed at over 

 fifty. The Italian rye-grass (Lolium italicrim of some botanists) is one of its 

 many varieties. As a winter and early spring grass, it is a valuable addition 

 to the pastures in the southern and colder districts of the Colony, but it will 

 not grow satisfactorily west of the Dividing Eange, neither will it thrive on 

 poor dry soils. An alluvial, moist, rich, strong land suits it best, and under 

 such conditions it will yield a bulk of valuable herbage, of which milch cows 

 are particularly fond. It is said, however, that sheep do not always thrive 

 well on it, and they sometimes are subject to fits similar to those produced 

 by eating the darnal grass when kept too long on pastures where the rye 



