852 



p. 6); and of the hay— Moisture, 8-88; Ash, 5-55; Protein, 

 6-21; Soluble Carbohydrates, 39-08; Ether Extract, 1-21; 

 Crude fibre, 39-07 per cent. (I.e. 1913, p. 38). 



An annual, 2-4 ft. high, which under favourable conditions 

 comes to maturity in from 2-3 months — (" Thaf Tseddia," the 

 quick growing variety) or up to 5 months (" Thaf Hagaiz," slow 

 growing variety) both distinguished chiefly as white and red. In 

 India sown in July (rainy season) and cut in the middle of August, 

 the green crop weighed 16,000 lb. or from 2000-3000 lb. of dried 



Kew 



in the 



Transvaal, sown November 26th (190'4) and cut for seed February 

 20th (1905) or 12 weeks from sowing, with 7-12 inches of rain 

 during the growing period, the yield of green forage was over 

 4 tons (10,285 lb.) per acre and a yield of 4 tons of hay jDer acre, 

 has been reported (I.e. p. 36). The seed weighs 63 lb. per bushel 

 and the yield has been found to be 1500 lb. per acre (I.e. p. 35). 

 In B.E. Africa (Kenya Colony) nursery plants have yielded at 

 the rate of 14 cwt. of seed and 4 tons of green fodder per acre 

 (Ann. Rep. Dept. Agric. Exp. Farm, Kabete, B.E. Africa, 

 1912-1913, p. 119). 



Experiments are being made with Teff in Nigeria; but 

 there appears to be httle information available ; at Maigana in 

 1914, a Hght crop was obtained on a plot less than an acre and 

 fed to cattle (Rae, Ann. Rep. Agric. Dept. N. Prov. Nigeria, 

 1914, p. 13) and the report for 1917 was to the effect that " owing 

 to a fire the whole of the seed available for planting was destroyed. 

 More seed is being obtained, when the experiment will be continued 

 (Rae, Ann. Rep. Dept. Agric. N. Nigeria, 1917, p. 10). 



This grass seems to be well worthy of development — in the 

 Transvaal (introduced in 1903), within ten years of its intro- 

 duction it " raised scores of small farmers from poverty to 

 comparative comfort," and established an important dairy 

 industry (Kew Bull. 1913, p. 38). In 1920 it was estimated that 

 the Union of S. Africa had some 250,000 acres under " Teff " 

 of the annual value £1,000,000 (Burtt-Davy, letter to Director, 

 July 1st, 1920) and in Australia its value for fodder purposes 

 is considered exceptionally high, chiefly merited by the short 

 period of growth before maturity and suitabihty tor dry sandy 

 regions where few other grasses would thrive with equal success 

 (Kew Bull. 1913, p. 33 & 1894, p. 378). In Eritrea the cultivation 



v. March 

 p. 829). 



as for barley (Manetti, Agric. Col. Italy, 

 Bull. Bur. Agric. Inst. Rome, April 1911, 



Bef.—" Teff {Eragrostis abyssinica)," in Kew Bull. Jan. 1887. 



pp. 2-6 — of special interest as 



the Bulletin. — -Eragrostis abyssinica " (Tropical Fodder-Grasses) 



in Kew Bull. 1894, pp. 378-380. " Teff {Eragrostis abyssinica);' 



Burtt-Davy & Sampson, in Transvaal Agric. Journ; iii April 

 1905, pp. 536-541.— " Teff," Wentworth-Sykes, in Agric. 



i( 



Teff 



