352 Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 



Panicum maximum, Jacquin.* (P. jumentorum, PersoQn.) 



The Guinea-grass. Tropical Africa ; elsewhere not indigenous. 

 This perennial grass attains a height of 10 feet. It is highly 

 nutritious, and quite adapted for the warmer temperate zone, being 

 hardy as far south as Buenos Ayres. In Jamaica it is the principal 

 fodder-grass up to elevations of 5,000 feet, springing up over wide 

 tracts of country almost to the exclusion of everything else. It 

 forms large bunches, which when cut young supply a particularly 

 sweet and tender hay ; throws out numerous stolons ; can be mown 

 every six weeks ; the roots can be protected in the ground against 

 light frosts by a thin covering with soil. A favorite grass in tropical 

 countries for stall-fodder. The best fodder-grass raised on the plains 

 of India. Will exceptionally grow 6 inches in a day. It is neces- 

 sary to guard against over-feeding with this grass solely. Succeeds 

 even on poor clay-soil and on sea-sand. Although this grass seeds 

 freely it is best propagated by cuttings [Dr. Watt]. P. bulbosum 

 (Kunth) is a more hardy grass of the southern parts of North- 

 America, regarded as a variety by General Munro, but remarkable 

 for its thickly enlarged roots. 



Panicum melananthum, F.'' ^Mueller. 



Eastern Australia. A valuable perennial grass for pastoral pur- 

 poses [Bailey]. Adapted also for shady localities. Eligible for 

 irrigation-ground. 



Panicum miliaceum, Linne.* (P. miliare, Lamarck.) 



The true "Millet." South-Europe, North-Africa, .South- Asia, 

 ascending the Himalayas to 1 1,000 feet, North- Australia. Cultivated 

 in Southern Europe as early as the time of 'Hippocrates (who con- 

 sidered it a good dietetic) and Theophrast^s, in Egypt prior to 

 historic records and in Switzerland during the st'one-age. Annual, 

 attaining a height of four. feet. Very eligible for green fodder. 

 Several varieties occur, one with black grains. They all need a rich 

 and friable soil, also humidity. Maturation very quick. It is one of 

 the best of all grains for poultry, but furnishes also a palatable and 

 nutritious table-food. A syrup is prepared from the seeds in' Siberia 

 [A. Regel]. It ripens even in Christiania [Sehuebeler]. In : the 

 Wimmera-country it is grown as easily as Avheat [Reader]. In mild 

 countries as many as 70 bushels of seeds have been harvested from 

 an acre of land, well cultivated with this grass [Ch. Flint]. The 

 yield may be thousandfold. 



Panicum molle, Swartz.* (P. barbinode, Trinius. ) 



Warmer parts of America, Africa and Asia. One of the Para- 

 grasses. A perennial, very fattening pasture-grass, of luxuriant 

 growth, attaining a height of 6 feet [Grisebach]. It is hardy at the 

 Cape of Good Hope and other far extra-tropic regions. Passes also 

 as Para-grass. 



