352 Transactions. — Botany. 



all summer during the driest weather, much relished by the stock, aud a 

 very desirable grass for permanent pasture, bears a great quantity of seed, 

 and as it lays many of its stems along the ground that escape the grazing 

 of the stock, it thus increases and spreads. It is very nutritious and 

 fattening, and well worthy of a place in pastures. 



Panicum decompositmn. — A fast-growing abundant grass, grows well 

 under trees, forms a thick sole, and during summer is a rapidly increasing- 

 plant, able to ripen seed in large quantities through all the autumn : grows 

 from spring to late autumn. 



Panicum, orizynum. — A quick-growing grass, much to be recommended if 

 quite closely kept fed down, but it must not be allowed to form seed-heads, 

 as the long awns upon its seed might injure the cattle ; if closely cropped 

 would be very useful, as its abundant leaves contain a large amount of 

 nutritive elements. 



Pennisetum italicum. — This, although an annual, will be found very use- 

 ful by the farmer for one of the grasses for a rotation crop ; it bears an 

 abundance of very fattening fohage, which is three feet high ; it forms large 

 bunches of leaves and tall seed-stems, and is greedily eaten by cattle and 

 other stock, quickly making them fat. 



Pennisetum glauciim. — Is also an annual, and distinguished from the pre- 

 ceding by its glaucous colour, taller herbage, and later growth ; in the 

 season of its greatest vigom- it is a very fattening grass, and should be 

 ■ sown by farmers and others who only require an annual grass ; it may be 

 fed down very closely, quickly growing up again. 



Paspalum distichum. — A useful grass to sow in damp places or along 

 the banks of water-courses. It yields an abundance of nutritious herbage 

 during the warm weather that stock much approve of. It is a very superior 

 grass, and should be widely sown in permanent pasture, more especially on 

 damp lands or swampy meadows. 



Paspalum lUtorale. — A very good grass for sandy lands along the sea coast, 

 and is there one of the best feeding grasses. 



Paspalum dilatatum. — A valuable perennial pasture grass, as it yields an 

 abundance of herbage, it fattens stock quicldy as they are fond of it ; it 

 holds its place so well amongst mixed grasses that it ought to be generally 

 sown in perraanent j)asture. 



The ]precediug are a few grasses and fodder plants selected from my notes 

 upon many hundreds of such plants as I have introduced, acclimatized, and 

 experimented with during the past eighteen years, and although there is a 

 great temptation to add largely to the number above described, yet a fear of 

 wearying the members of the Philosophical Society, by adding many others 

 to the list upon this occasion, causes me to limit the number to those above 



