300 Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 



Mauritia flexuosa, Linne". 



From Guiana to Peru and Brazil. This noble Palm is known to 

 ascend up to 4,000 feet along the Essequibo. As Palms, like Bam- 

 boos, prove to be among the hardier of tropical plants, experiments 

 for naturalising M. vinifera (Martius) might also be instituted. This 

 attains a height of about 150 feet, has leaves sometimes 15 feet in 

 length, and yields from the incised stem a copious sap, which forms 

 a kind of wine by fermentation. 



Maytenus Boaria, Molina. (Boaria Molince, De Candolle ; Mayttnu 

 Chilensis, De Candolle.) 



Chili. An evergreen tree, assuming considerable dimensions in 

 the southern provinces. Wood extremely hard. Cattle and sheep 

 browse with predilection on the^ foliage hence the trees are cut 

 down, when grasses become scarce through protracted snowfalls or in 

 times of drought [Dr. Philippi]. 



Medicago arborea, Linne. 



South-Europe, particularly Greece. " Tree-Lucerne." This 

 shrubby yellow Lucerne is of value for dairy-farmers, as it much 

 promotes in cows the yield of milk. Also a superior bee-plant. This 

 seems to have been the most favoured fodder-plant used by the ancient 

 Greeks and Romans [FraasJ. It was their Cytisus, alluded to by 

 Theophrastos, Dioscorides, Plinius, Virgilius, Cato. This genus 

 includes several other species valued as pasture-plants, besides the 

 present and those noted below. 



Medicago falcata, Linne. 



Europe, Western Asia. A spurious Lucerne, hardy, thriving even 

 on dry ridges and poor soil, but preferring calcareous ground. 



Medicago glutinosa, Bieberstein. 



Armenia and Caucasus, up to 7,500 feet. One of the species with 

 pods not prickly. Allied to M. falcata. 



Medicago lupulina, Linne. 



The Black Medick. Europe, North- Africa and temperate Asia. 

 An annual or biennial pasture-herb, easily grown, and not without 

 nutritive importance, though not bulky. Laugethal observes : " It 

 effects for argillaceous soils what the White Clover does for sandy 

 moist soils. It will even succeed in moory ground, provided such 

 contains some lime. It suits also particularly for sheep-pastures." 

 It will thrive where, on account of poor soil, lucerne and clover fail. 

 In rich land its product is very copious. In Norway it will grow to 

 lat. 63 26'. Though of short individual duration, it maintains its 

 ground by easy dissemination. 



