PREFACE. Vll 



work. They include trees, shrubs and herbs. The fodder-yielding trees 

 and shrubs are especially useful during seasons of drought when her- 

 baceous vegetation becomes scanty. Sufficient attention has not 

 hitherto been given to this source of fodder supply, which is capable of 

 being greatly developed. The economic value of trees and shrubs so 

 far as they contribute towards the value of forests in the way of fuel, 

 &c, has been to a great extent recognized, but no special measures 

 have been undertaken to develop their capabilities for fodder purposes. 

 Of the herbaceous vegetation a large number of plants belonging to 

 other natural orders besides the Graminese are eaten by horses and cat- 

 tle promiscuously along with the ordinary grasses. Those which are 

 known to possess nutritious qualities should be encouraged ; for, in ad- 

 dition to their value as forage, they no doubt, in many eases, serve to 

 protect the roots of the grasses amongst which they grow, as well as to 

 fill up what would be bare spaces if the ground supported only grass. 

 Considering the importance of many of these non -gramineous fodder 

 plants, e.g., babul (Acacia arabica), jhand (Prosqpis spicigera), ber (Zi- 

 zyphus nummularia), and a host of annuals, the subject is worthy, I 

 think, of being specially investigated. 



The two parts of nature-printed illustrations will together form a 

 convenient companion volume to this book. I am glad of another op- 

 portunity of congratulating Mr. T. I). Bona, the able Superintendent of 

 the Thomason College Press, Roorkee, for the skill with which he has 

 succeeded in producing so many faithful portraits. 



The six plates included in this work were lithographed at the 

 Thomason College Press from drawings copied by my draftsman, EL 

 Hormusji, from figures in the " Agrostographie ,f of Palisot de Beau- 

 vois, from Reiehenbach/s "Icones Florse Germanicse," and a few from 

 Bentley's and Trimen's a Medicinal Plants." 



J. F. DlJTHIE. 



