532 Transactions.— Botany. 
acclimatize here, new exotics, and among them certain grasses, clovers, and 
fodder plants, which my experiments have shown would be very valuable 
if cultivated in the fields and pastures of this colony. For although in the 
New Zealand flora Gramineae are numerous, and experiments prove to me 
that many of the New Zealand grasses are very valuable for their feeding 
and fattening properties, such as the Danthonias, Isachnes, Hierochloe redo- 
lens, the Poas, Festucas, Dichelachnes, and others ; yet in the winter, and also 
in the summer, the growth is not rapid enough, and the nutrient elements 
are not sufficiently developed in the indigenous grasses, to supply the flocks 
and herds with all that they require. 
The introduction of the Dactylis glomerata, the Festucas of various kinds, 
the Alopecurus pratensis, Anthowanthum odoratum, Cynosurus cristatus, Phleum 
pratense, Loliums annual and biennial, so called perennial, especially the 
Devon Evergreen Rye, various Poas, and many other kinds are valuable, and 
from my test culture, analysis, and feeding, their properties are all useful in 
their proper places, as are also the T'rifoliwms (clovers), and some others; 
but even yet more grasses are required to make up the deficiencies of all 
these, and it becomes necessary to discover and obtain other grasses and 
fodder plants that would supply these defects. Having therefore obtained 
and eultivated several hundred species of grasses during a space of fourteen 
years, and subjected them to various tests, it was found that some were very 
excellent, and others for divers reasons could be discarded, and their culture 
given up; while others being stil under experiment a future verdiet will 
have to be given upon their merits. The experience of graziers in most 
parts of the Colony of New Zealand is that in the spring and autumn, if not 
over-stocking their fields or pastures, feed or herbage is abundant, yet in the 
summers, and also in the winters the grasses, clovers, and other food plants 
do not grow quickly enough to supply the sheep or cattle with the necessary 
nutritious feed to keep up their condition for their owners’ benefit. After 
the rains and dampness, with the increasing warmth of the spring, has 
caused the grasses and clovers on the best pastures to grow very rapidly 
for a few weeks, the drought and hot sun of summer too soon causes this 
rampant growth to cease, and the pastures become dry and brown looking, 
and cannot maintain the same amount of live stock in good condition as 
in the spring. According as the pastures have been more or less carefully 
sown with a larger or smaller number of various grasses, so is this state of 
barrenness sooner or later arrived at. For the pasture is better all through 
the year the greater the number of well-chosen grasses and clover sown 
upon it. 
For while in some of the best pastures and fields of the grazing counties 
of England, over 40 kinds of grass and clover are to be found, it is unfortu- 
