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SELECT PLANTS READILY ELIGIBLE 



Andropogon nutans, Linne. {Sorghum nutans, Gray.) 



North America. A tall, nutritious, perennial grass, content 

 with dry and barren soil. 



Andropogon pertusus, Willdenow. 



South Asia, tropical and sub-tropical Australia. Perennial. 

 Mr. Nixon, of Benalla, regards it as one of the best grasses 

 to withstand long droughts, while it will bear any amount of 

 feeding. A. Haleppensis (recorded before) yields a very 

 large hay-crop for mowing, as it may be cut half-a-dozen 

 times in a season, should the land be rich. All kinds of 

 stock have a predilection for this grass. It will mat the soil 

 with its deep and spreading roots ; hence it should be kept 

 from cultivated fields. 



Andropogon saccharatus, Roxburgh. {Sorghum saccJm- 

 ratum, Pers.) 



Tropical Asia. The Broom-Corn. A tall annual species, 

 splendid as a fodder-grass. Prom the saccharine juice sugar 

 is obtainable. A sample of such, prepared from plants of 

 the Melbourne Botanic Garden, was shown at the Exhibition 

 of 1862. This Sorghum furnishes also material for a v^^ell- 

 known kind of brooms. A variety or a closely allied species 

 yields the Caffir Corn (A. Caffrorum, Kunth). The plant 

 can be advantageously utilized for preparing treacle. For 

 this purpose, the sap is expressed at the time of flowering, 

 and simply evajDorated ; the yield is about 100 gallons from 

 the acre. In 1860, nearly seven millions of gallons of 

 sorghum treacle were produced in the United States. The 

 stem can be used as a culinary vegetable. 



Andropogon Schoenanthus, Linne. 



Deserts of Arabia. A scented grass, allied to the Indian 

 oil-yielding Andropogons. The medicinal Siri-oil is prejDared 

 from the root. A similar species occurs in arid places of the 

 interior of North Australia. 



Andropogon Sorghum, Brotero. {Sorghum vulga/re, Per- 

 soon). 



The large Indian Millet or Guinea Corn, or the Durra. 

 Warmer parts of Asia. A tall annual plant. The grains 

 can be converted into bread, porridge and other preparations of 

 food. It is a very prolific corn and to us particularly 

 valuable for green fodder. The panicles are used for carpet- 

 brooms, the fibrous roots for velvet-brushes. A kind of beer 

 called " Merisa" is prepared from the seeds. Many others 

 of the numerous species of Andropogon, from both hemi- 

 spheres, deserve our attention. 



