101 



have beeu wliuUy due to the prickly 

 character of the fruits." 



In my Annual Report for 18SG, I re- 

 ferred to this plant and suggested that it 

 be included in the Xanthium spinosuin 



Law, and I am now pleased to see that it 

 is proposed to do so. It should be stated 

 that its burrs are almost -if not (][uite as 

 injurious to wool as those of X. spino- 

 sum. 



The March Rainsm 



THE meteorological returns show that 

 during March there was an almost 

 general heavy fall of rain. 



Gorton, Ixopo, continues to suffer from 

 prolonged drought. Mr. Uharlcb Green 

 writes : — " There is rain all round, but 

 none in the thorns. Mealies will be scarce 

 therein — none in fact ; the inhabitants 

 will have to purchase. The Ixopo has 

 not been so low for the last fifty years. 

 Some sluits about here have ceased 

 running. Natives have to drive cattle a 

 long way in many cases for water, and 

 the inhabitants have to fetch their 

 domestic supply from a distance." 



It will be noticed that while there are 

 returns showing over ten inches for the 

 month, at Gorton only 1*55 in. fell. 



Accompanying his rainfall return, Mr. 

 /> . Wilkinson, Ottawa, sends the following 

 notes : — " This month is remarkable for 

 number of days' rain from the N.E., which 

 is unusual. A very good month's rain, 

 not too much rain at a time to run to 

 waste in the rivers. We may expect rain 

 until the middle of the month, two days 

 before the change of the moon. As a 



general thing on the Coast the mercury 

 falls about two days before full and 

 change of moon, and the wind changes to 

 S.W., the rainy wind, but does not always 

 bring rain. Mr. Glaisher, the celebrated 

 meteorologist, says the moon has no effect 

 on the weather, but I have found it not 

 to be the case in Natal, as any old sailor 

 can tell you. A. W., one of them." 



Clairmont. Mr. J. R. Blarney writes: — 

 ''We have not had a month's rainfall like 

 this since March, 18J7, when we had 

 12-4:7. On the IGth there was a down- 

 pour of 1"10 in." 



Nottingham Road, Lynedoch. Mr. 

 Charles King writes :—" The rainfall for 

 •March, I'JOij, was I'il) in." On hve days 

 over one inch fell. 



Ematoma. The following remarks ac- 

 company this report :— "The rain through- 

 out this month has been very good for 

 root crops, such as turnips, etc., but would 

 like to see a little more sunshine to ripen 

 up cereal crops. Sheep have not done so 

 well this month, blue tongue being very 

 prevalent amongst them." 



Grass Seeds for Distributionm 



THE Hon. P. R. Moor has presented to 

 the Agricultural Department for dis- 

 tribution li lbs. of Medicago obicularis, 

 commonly known as burrless medick 

 grass, , and one bushel of prairie grass 

 (Bromus uniloides). 



The first — Medicago obicularis — is of 

 Mediterranean origin, and has been 

 widely distributed through Australia by 

 Baron von Mueller. The stems are 

 diffuse and the plant is many seeded. 

 When pasturage fails sheep lick up the 



seeds. One plant bears as many as 1,400 

 seeds. It is much esteemed as a pasturage 

 plant in Australia. 



The second — Prairie grass — is also 

 much esteemed in Australia. Messrs. 

 Anderson & Co., seedsmen, Sydney, 

 N.S.W., describe this grass thus: — "A 

 very early spring grass, growing very 

 rapidly at this season, and continiies to 

 yield a fair amount of herbage through 

 the summer and autiimn in favourable 

 seasons. It seeds very freely, and soon 



