﻿JII. 
  — 
  BOTANY 
  

  

  Art, 
  LVIII, 
  — 
  Further 
  Observations 
  \q:)on 
  certain 
  Grasses 
  and 
  Fodder 
  Plants, 
  

  

  By 
  S. 
  M, 
  CuEL, 
  M.D. 
  

  

  [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Wellington 
  PMlosopltical 
  Society, 
  lltJi 
  August, 
  1S78.] 
  

   In 
  addition 
  to 
  tliosG 
  grasses 
  and 
  fodder 
  plants 
  I 
  liad 
  the 
  honour 
  to 
  recom- 
  

   mend, 
  in 
  papers 
  read 
  before 
  the 
  WelHngton 
  Philosophical 
  Society, 
  in 
  the 
  

   jj'ears 
  of 
  1876 
  and 
  1877,"' 
  there 
  are 
  others 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  tested, 
  and 
  "which 
  I 
  

   would 
  now 
  desire 
  to 
  bring 
  before 
  this 
  scientific 
  society. 
  

  

  All 
  who 
  have 
  experimented 
  in 
  the 
  introduction, 
  culture, 
  and 
  growth 
  of 
  

   plants 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  will 
  have 
  been 
  struck 
  with 
  the 
  wonderful 
  way 
  in 
  

   which 
  plants 
  from 
  very 
  different 
  climates 
  seem 
  to 
  acclimatise 
  themselves 
  

   and 
  do 
  well 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  ; 
  and 
  when 
  looking 
  through 
  my 
  notes 
  upon 
  tho 
  

   growth 
  of 
  hundreds 
  of 
  genera 
  and 
  species 
  of 
  grasses 
  under 
  test 
  culture, 
  it 
  

   is 
  interesting 
  to 
  find 
  how 
  many 
  there 
  are 
  that 
  have 
  done 
  not 
  only 
  more 
  

   than 
  was 
  expected 
  of 
  them, 
  but 
  that 
  have 
  proved 
  themselves 
  fully 
  worthy 
  

   of 
  being 
  introduced 
  here 
  into 
  the 
  systems 
  of 
  farming 
  and 
  grazing 
  in 
  tho 
  

   several 
  localities 
  of 
  this 
  colony. 
  

  

  The 
  moderate 
  range 
  of 
  temperature 
  between 
  the 
  extreme 
  heat 
  of 
  summer 
  

   and 
  tho 
  worst 
  of 
  our 
  cold 
  weather 
  in 
  winter, 
  with 
  the 
  frequent 
  occurring 
  

   rains, 
  seem 
  to 
  enable 
  those 
  plants 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  generally 
  raised 
  from 
  seed 
  to 
  

   accustom 
  themselves 
  to 
  this 
  country, 
  although 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  indigenous 
  to 
  

   very 
  different 
  climates. 
  

  

  And 
  as 
  grasses 
  and 
  many 
  fodder 
  plants 
  may 
  be 
  frequently 
  removed 
  from 
  

   seed 
  sown, 
  the 
  succeeding 
  are 
  more 
  acclimatised 
  than 
  the 
  preceding 
  genera- 
  

   tion, 
  so 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  a 
  race 
  of 
  plants 
  arc 
  produced 
  that 
  have 
  become 
  

   accustomed 
  to 
  the 
  climate, 
  and 
  whilst 
  possessing 
  their 
  several 
  characteristics 
  

   have 
  become 
  hardy 
  here, 
  and 
  have 
  developed 
  qualities 
  that 
  are 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  

   other 
  species, 
  and 
  these 
  various 
  differences 
  make 
  them 
  valuable 
  to 
  those 
  

   requiring 
  such 
  particulars 
  in 
  the 
  plants 
  they 
  cultivate. 
  

  

  In 
  growing 
  grasses 
  and 
  fodder 
  plants, 
  not 
  only 
  is 
  the 
  constant 
  succes- 
  

   sion 
  of 
  growth 
  in 
  the 
  diverse 
  species 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  much 
  importance, 
  as 
  

   growing 
  greater 
  quantities 
  of 
  herbage, 
  but 
  as 
  each 
  species 
  takes 
  up 
  and 
  

  

  * 
  Trans. 
  N.Z. 
  Inst. 
  IX., 
  p. 
  531 
  ; 
  and 
  X., 
  p. 
  3-15. 
  

  

  