89 



" Horses and cattle are fond of it, both in its dry and green condition. 

 Probably no grass gives better promise for the dry arid lands of the west." 



" In California it is known as Evergreen or Arabian Millet. It roots 

 deep in the sub-soil, and where that is at all alkaline it grows 

 enormously, but at the same time absorbs so much of the unpalatable 

 alkali that stock will not eat it. It is excellent for dry hills, free from 

 alkali." 



It is common all over Northern India, in cultivated and uncultivated 

 ground, and is considered to be a good fodder grass both for grazing 

 and hay. 



The Department of Agriculture of Victoria distributed some of the 

 seed of this grass to farmers in 1888, and following are extracts from 

 the circular issued at the time : " Superior both as a grazing and hay 

 grass ; has abundance of roots, which decay, thereby enriching the 

 ground rather than exhausting it. The best results follow sowing the 

 seed in August and September, enabling the seed to get a good root 

 by the autumn, and forming a better turf the following season. Sow 

 broadcast at the rate of a bushel an acre, and cover with a light brush, 

 or sow just before a heavy rain. Three good crops the following season 

 will be the result if the season is favourable." 



Baron von Mueller quotes J. L. Dow, of Victoria, as stating that it 

 keeps green in the heat of summer ; also, Mr. Hollingsworth, that it 

 is not eaten out by pasture animals. The Baron adds : " It will also 

 grow in drift sand of the coast, and will keep growing during the dry 

 season, when most other grasses fail, but improves much on irrigation ; 

 the roots resist some frost ; three tons can be cut from one acre in a 

 single season ; it yields so large a hay-crop that it may be cut half a 

 dozen times in a season, provided the land be rich. All kinds of stock 

 have a predilection for this grass." 



Objections to this grass. " The greatest objection to this grass is 

 the difficulty of eradicating it. Care should be taken not to introduce 

 it into fields intended for cultivation. It spreads rapidly, both by root 

 and seed, and it is apt to enter fields where it is not wanted. The 

 grass is not well adapted to pasture, and close pasturing is one of the 

 means of getting rid of it. Its succulent subterranean stems are 

 usually well liked by hogs after they have become accustomed to them, 

 and by keeping hogs closely confined on it, it may be eradicated. There 

 has been much discussion in the papers of the Southern United States 

 as to this grass, some considering it a great blessing, others a curse, 

 the fact being that it is a blessing where a permanent grass is desired, 

 and a great pest in land intended for general cultivation." (Vasey.) 



Duthie points out that various reports indicate its injurious effects 

 on cattle if eaten when too young, or when the plants are stunted by 

 drought. He adds that the same results have been observed to take 

 place in the case of Sorghum vulgare. Dr. Stewart was told in Hazara 

 that cattle, after eating it, are often attacked by fatal head affections. 

 In other districts it is said to be poisonous until the rains are over, 

 when cattle eat it with impunity. (See ante, page 87.) 



A gentleman in the Inverell district wrote to the Department some 

 time ago asking for directions how to eradicate it, and there is no 



