■26 



INTKODUCTION INTO THE CIVILIZED WORLD. 



The introduction of Teff to the civilized world was brought about 

 in 1886-87, through the efforts of the Director of the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens, Kew, aided by the Foreign Office, London, and the officer 

 commanding the Italian garrison at Massowah. . 



In 1886 inquiries were made at Kew for seed of Teff, and it 

 occurred to Mr. Thiselton-Dyer, the then Director of Kew, _" that 

 the grain might be very advantageously introduced to certain hill 

 stations in India, to elevated portions of our Colonial Empire, and, 

 indeed, to all places where maize and wheat cannot be successfully 

 cultivated." (3.) He therefore took up the matter at once and 

 sought the aid of the Consular Service of the Foreign Office. In 

 a letter, historic in the annals of Teff, dated 23rd June, 1886, Mr. 

 D. Morris, the Assistant Director, briefly outlined the value of Teff 

 to the Abyssinians, and concluded: "Mr. Thiselton-Dyer would, 

 under these circumstances, esteem it a favour if you will be good 

 enough to lay this letter before Lord Rosebery, and ask that the 

 Vice-Consul at Berbera be instructed to endeavour to procure a 

 bushel or so of seed of Teff and forward it here by first convenient 

 opportunity." 



The Foreign Office took up the matter with Her Majesty's 

 Charge d'Affaires at Cairo, Mr. G. H. Portal, who succeeded in 

 securing one bag each of White and of Red Teff, through the 

 courteous assistance of Mons. G. Verranzi, the Italian Acting 

 Consul-General, and of General Gene, Officer Commanding the 

 Italian garrison at Massowah. The letter forwarding the seed was 

 dated Cairo, 16th October, 1886. 



General Gene, in forwarding the consignment, explained that 

 both the White and Red- Teff are cultivated in the same manner, 

 but that the former is more generally preferred by the well-to-do 

 natives on account of its colour. 



He also enclosed a useful memorandum (4) on the cultivation of 

 Teff in Abyssinia, from Mons. E. Coulbeaux, Missionaire apostoli- 

 que en Abyssinie, dated Olkraur, 27th September, 1886. 



DISTRIBUTION FROM KEW. 



We have no information as to the exact dates on which the 

 Teff seed was received at Kew, and distributed to the Colonies, 

 but in the Kew BuUetin for 1894 (10), it is stated that "seed of Teff 

 was received at Kew in 1886 and distributed to numerous estab- 

 lishments in India and the Colonies " ; the article also quotes from 

 reports received from British Guiana, India and Australia, dated 

 1888. It is obvious, therefore, that the seed was distributed in the 

 latter part of 1886 or in 1887. 



"The grain is reported to make 'an excellent fine hay' in 

 British Guiana, and to mature in six or eight weeks from time of 

 sowing. ' For this purpose Teff is well worth cultivating. It is 

 cleaner and brighter looking than any other grass, and is readily 

 eaten by cattle and horses.' The reports from Australia and India 

 are equally favourable. The value of this plant for fodder pur- 

 poses is exceptionally high. Its chief merits in this respect are 

 the short time it takes to mature, and its suitability to thrive in 

 dry, sandy regions, where few other grasses would flourish equally 

 well." (10.) 



FIRST INTRODUCTION INTO SOUTH AFRICA. 



In addition to the places already referred to as having 

 received seed from Kew in the 1886-7 distribution, seed was sent 



