367 
last quarter. Though sugar is still the chief staple p i" culti- 
vation of arrowroot is largely on the increase, and, after intro- 
elek are now commencing to bear, with a hopeful promise for 
Rs future. The frequent visits of the Curator to different localities, 
d his practical lessons on planting and pruning, given on the spot, are 
pró re of much good. 
CCCCXVII.—BHABUR GRASS. 
(Ischemum angustifolium, Hackel.) 
A note on Bhabur grass (with a plate) was published in the Kew 
Bulletin, 1888, pp. 157-160. "This grass is a n native of India, and it is 
notice by Dr. George King, C.I.E., F.R.S. Sule tuia debl of the Royal 
Botanic Gardens, matics in 1871-75. Since that time the grass has 
chief raw material for r. pages in the neighbou of Calentta 
and other parts of British India. The following additional information 
respecting it is given in the recently published Annual Report of the 
Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta, for the year 1893-91, p. 2 :— 
“Seed of the grass, known variously as bhadar, babui, and sabai, 
was issued to a few applicants outside of India. This grass (of which 
ver 
common in the Siwalik range, and in the Bhabar forests of the Gharwal 
and Kumaon Himalaya. Samples of it, sent home by me in 1873 to a 
paper-maker in Scotland, were favourably reported upon; and again in 
1877 a sample sent by me to the India Office, having been subm itted to 
the late Mr. Routledge, of the Ford Paper Mills (then a leading authority 
on paper-making), was — by him to be little inferior to Esparto 
s a raw material for pa year or two sub uently to this it was 
in its infan s of Bhabar grass is now ee piov for from 
abroad, it is possible that, before long,it may be cultivated in other 
tropical countries. 
