miSCELLANEOm NOTES. 611 



B, This is the latest information contained in the Bude'tm regarding tha 

 'experiments in N.-W. Provinces and Oudh, The last official note on the salt 

 %ush at Saharunpur is contained in the following extract from the Report 

 on the Garden for the year ending March, 1890 : " A few plants of this fodder 

 ^ere planted out last rains to take the place of some which had died, A con- 

 ssiderable number of plants remain on hand for distribution, but there was no 

 'call for them during the year. The Director of the Botanical Department 

 Northern India, having now been supplied with as many plants as he cares 

 "to try in the Aligarh and Cawnpore ' usar ' reserves, there is littleprobabi* 

 3ity of any extensive demand springing up until something definite has resulted 

 from his experiments. For the present we will therefore discontinue propa* 

 Ration, but keep up a small stock plantation in case the Aligarh and Cawnpore 

 'experiments should turn out to be sufficiently encouraging for trying this plant 

 -on a larger scale at some future period." 



6. We may now ask the India Office to favor us with information showing 

 the result of the experiments up to date. As pointed out by the Famine 

 Commission, the fodder famine of 1300, and the consequent destruction of 

 ■agricultural stock have vastly increased the importance of all ques Lions relating 

 to the preservation of cattle, the growth of fodder crops coming first among 

 preventive measures; so that the introduction throughout India of drought- 

 Tesisting fodder plants, from being merely an interesting botanical experiment 

 aow takes a prominent place among practical measures of famine prevention. 

 No doubt, as recommended by the Famine Commission, the subject will be taken 

 ■up earnestly by the Agricultural Departments of all the Local Governments, 



7. In the meantime a few points may be noted. First, as regards the local* 

 ities selected for experiment. Fortunately, the salt-bush favours generally 

 those arid saline tracts, found in most Indian Provinces, which are useless for 

 other purposes. But from the list given in para. 3 it will be seen that the 

 •different varieties exhibit special characteristics. It appears, therefore, that 

 ■the various Local Governments should be careful to select localities suited to 

 the special requirements of the species chosen for experiment. For example, 

 it does not appear why the A. nummularia, whose natural habitat is in the arid 

 plains of Central Australia, was located in the Doab, where it was exposed to 

 excessive damp, and was devoured by innumerable caterpillars. The Raghodia 

 ^araholka {W) is the only variety shown in the list which is said to prefer 

 aaoist places. In this connection it may be noted that, as the salt-bush is 

 particularly rehshed by camels, it might with great advantage be introduced 

 into the deserts of Sind and Rajputana, The Famine Commissioners point 

 out (para, 220) that in Gujarat many fields are hedged with a useless Euphor* 

 bia, and suggest the substitution of shrubs useful for fodder. Rewards might 

 be given to the headmen of villages where this advantageous arrangement is 

 carried out -, also where, by their exertions, the salt-bush is spread over the 

 arid wastes, supplying food for the cattle, while mitigating the heat from th« 

 bare and sun-baked surface. 



