29 



to the Natal Botanic Gardens, Durban. In his Annual Report 

 for 1887 (5), the Director, Mr. J. Medley Wood, A.L.S., reported 

 as follows : — 



" I received from the Director of the Kew Gardens a small 

 bag of seeds of this plant, which is used in Ab.yssinia for making 

 bread. The seed is very small, and it appeared to me that it 

 would scarcely find favour in Natal as a cereal, though possibly in 

 some parts of the Colony it might be found useful as a fodder 

 plant. I therefore, after having the seed tested, and finding it 

 quite good, distributed it in small packets to persons willing to 

 give it a trial, and hope in a future Report to be able to record the 

 results." 



Writing in June, 1911, Mr. Medley Wood reported (20) that this 

 seed was distributed among twenty farmers, seventeen in Natal, 

 two in Zululand, and one in the Transvaal. The names of the 

 recipients, and the districts in which they lived, were not reported, 

 but the Transvaal locality, was probably Barberton or neighbour- 

 hood, where a botanical correspondent of Mr. Medley Wood resided 

 for some time. 



In 1888 Mr. Medley Wood wrote (6) : ' This will, as I suspected, 

 have no value as a cereal in Natal, but very favourable reports 

 have been received of it as a quick-growing fodder-grass." 



Again, in 1889, he reported (9): " It was, highly thought of as 

 a quickly-growing grass, though as a cereal it proves, as I had 

 suspected, to have no value in Natal. Whether or no the recipients 

 of the seed have thought it of sufficient value to continue its culti- 

 vation, I have no information. De Schonburgk sa.ys that it stands 

 drought well, and is a good grazing grass." 



As far as we can trace, this first introduction of Teff into South 

 Africa, ended here. None of those who tried it appear to have 

 had sufficient interest in the new plant to continue to grow it, 

 and it appears to have suffered a premature birth as far as South 

 African agriculture is concerned, for it was not in cultivation when 

 I came here in 1903. 



CAUSES OF FAILURE OF EARLY INTRODUCTION. 



The object of the proposed introduction was to provide an 

 additional cereal crop for drought-stricken regions in India and the 

 Colonies ; it was thought that Teff, being a relatively drought- 

 resistant crop of rapid maturity, might thrive in regions where the 

 rainfall was irregular in its incidence. In this respect, however, 

 the experiment was a failure, for in the thirty years, since its dis- 

 tribution it has nowhere outside of its native country— as far as 

 we can learn — beenado-pted-as a cereal food-stuff. 



The failure may have been due in part to the fact that yields 

 from the trial plots were so small as to appear unprofitable ; 

 and in part, perhaps, to the fact that the variety introduced was 

 that known as Tseddia, the grain of which is described as of " very 

 inferior quality" as a bread-stuff, the flabby cake or "tabita" 

 made from its flour being " as disagreeable to chew as if it were 

 mixed with sand." (4.) 



When first introduced, nothing appears to have been known 

 of the value of Teff as a hay, or fodder grass. Neither Bruce nor 

 Richard had mentioned this use of the crop ; probably it was 

 unknown to them. It was only when Teff had been tested in India, 

 and the Colonies to which seed had been distributed,, that its 

 feeding value as a hay-grass was demonstrated. 



