Xiv INTRODUCTION. 



in New South Wales. The dodder seeds, no doubt, have been imported with 

 unclean samples of clover and lucerne seed, and the climate being favorable it 

 has spread very rapidly of late years. 



I must confess that at one period I held the views of those persons who 

 thought to supplant our native herbage by a free introduction of exotics. 

 But after an observation extending over fifteen years, I have outlived these 

 erroneous ideas. My first observations were made when I had charge of a 

 series of experiments, carried out with both native and exotic fodder plants 

 and grasses, with a view of proving their true qualities by comparison. 

 They were sown or planted in spaces exactly one yard square, which gave an 

 accurate way of computing the yield of produce per acre of eacli species. 

 To enumerate all the species experimented with (upward of 100) , together 

 with a detailed description, would occupy too much time ; but, to sum up 

 briefly, I may state that the native ones yielded more at the rate per acre 

 than did exotics, with the exception of such tall growing grasses as Panicum 

 maximum, Jacq. ; Panicum spectabile, Nees. ; Keana luxurians, Dur. ; Sor- 

 ghum vulgare, Pers. ; Zea mays, Linn. ; and some of the larger kinds of 

 millet. But these were run very close by the following native ones : 

 Anthistiria avenacea, E. v. M. ; Astrebla pectinata, E. v. M. ; Heteropogon 

 insignis, Thu. ; Panicum crus-galli, Linn.; Pollinia fulva, Benth. ; Bottboellia 

 ophiuroides, Benth.; Sorghum halepense, Pers.; and Sorghum plumosum, 

 Beauv. It is a well known fact, however, among agriculturists, that tall 

 growing grasses are not always, in fact scarcely ever, so nutritious as thc> 

 more dwarf ones, though they are of the greatest value for ensilage, where 

 bulk is a great consideration. Another fact to be related with these fodder 

 plants and grasses is that horses eat the native ones in preference to exotics, 

 which proved conclusively that, with cultivation, native grass will become as 

 succulent and tempting to the appetite and as nutritious as the best of 

 exotics. These species experimented with that were indigenous to Northern 

 Europe and North America proved to be the most unsuitable, with two 

 exceptions, one an annual growth Ceratochloa unioloides, Dec., a capital 

 winter species, and the other a perennial Poa pratensis, L.,var. Virginiana. 

 This grass has underground soloniferous roots like our native Cynodon 

 dactylon, Pers., so on this account is not easy to exterminate, while it affords 

 a good fodder for sheep. Those from South Africa did fairly well, especially 

 Tricholoena rosea, Nees., which is quite acclimatised in some situations. Its 

 ripe seeds, being light, are distributed far and wide by every wind that blows. 

 Some South American species did well, as also the Calif ornian bunch grass, 

 Elymus condensatus, Pers. But it must be borne in mind that all these 

 grasses were tested in the coastal districts, and it is a question whether they 

 would have grown at all if they had been sown or planted on the arid central 

 plains of Australia. All these experiments were carried out on a black 

 loamy soil, but I saw other experiments carried out on different soils, and 

 the results were much the same, except in the case of pure sand, which 

 appears less favourable to their growth than any other. Even this has 

 species peculiar to itself. I mention this fact, for undue importance has 

 been given by some persons to the different geological formations necessary 

 to the growth of particular pasture plants. Of course where soils are 

 naturally very light, or very heavy, very dry, or excessively wet, it is then 

 necessary to make a selection of the most suitable species for such situations, 

 but to advise fifty different geological formations for the same number of 

 pasture plants is mere pedantry. 



Grasses and other fodder plants have been recommended by persons who 

 had formed their judgments of their merits upon imperfect trials, or upon 

 e very-day evidence. This has caused much disappointment and discouraged 



