120 



TIT E 



AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



who regard the central mills as haviiig 

 solved and settled the labour question to 

 remember that much ot the field work is 

 done by Polynesians. They are employed 

 in clearing land, in planting cane, m 

 trashing cane, and in other work tor 

 which white labour is not available, it 

 must also be remembered that any attempt 

 to intertere with this labour will bring 

 about a good deal of the disturbance in 

 the industry which was experienced be- 

 tween 1885 and 1892. Then there is the 

 point that the State has endorsed the m- 

 dusty with the money of the taxpayers 

 generally under the conditions tor re- 



cruiting Polynesian labour which are at 

 present in existence. 



It will be seen that in many cases the 

 central mills are struggling along under 

 conditions of finance which privately- 

 conducted enterprises could no-: stand. 

 Attention might be especially directed to 

 the statements as to the cost of sugar 

 manufactured and the price realised ; 

 also to the amounts owing to the Uovern- 

 ment for interest and redemption money. 

 The central mill system is not m such a 

 a flourishing state that it can afford to 

 submit to any disturbance in labour con- 

 ditions. 



Correspondence. 



To the Editor of the Agrimltural Journal. 

 PRAIRIE GRASS. 



DEAR SIR,— I enclose you the heads or 

 ears of a grass said to be an English 

 crrass, and which I have noticed growing 

 ?n orchards under the trees and about 

 homesteads in the upper part of l^ast 

 Griqualand. I would be much obliged it 

 you could give me a name for it. it 

 keeps nice and green all the winter ap- 

 pears to stand drought well, and stock 

 are said to be very fond of it.— Yours, etc., 

 Geo. C. Stafford. 



The Prairie, 



Scotston Post, Polela. 



Mr. J. Medley Wood, A.L.S., of the 

 Botanic Gardens, Durban, kindly replies 

 to the Editor's request for determination 

 as follows : — 



"The grass of which you send a speci- 

 men is Bromus uniloides (H.B.K.) (often 

 called prairie grass). It is supposed to be 

 a native of South America, but has been 

 introduced into most tropical and sub- 

 tropical countries. I have collected it 

 several times in the upper districts, but 

 have never seen it on the coast. Baron 

 Mueller says of it :— 



' From Central America to the sub- 

 alpine zone of Northern Argentina. In 

 Australia called the prairie grass. It has 

 spread over many parts of the globe as 

 naturalised. The writer saw it dis- 

 seminated on the mountains ot bt. 



Vincent's Gulf as early as 1847. It is one 

 of the richest of grasses, grows con- 

 tinuously, and spreads rapidly from seeds 

 particularly on fertile and somewhat 

 humid soil, and has proved, as a lasting 

 and nutritious fodder-grass or pasture- 

 grass, one of our best acquisitions. Very 

 early out in the season for fodder. Kept 

 alive in the hottest and driest parts ot 

 Central Australia, where it was first 

 inti-oduced by the writer of this work. 

 In Norway it comes to perfection up to 

 lat. 67.55. Chemical analysis in early 

 spring gave -.—Albumen, 2.80 ; gl^^ten, 

 3.80 ; starch, 3.30 ; gum, 1.70 ; sugar, 2.30 



^^Whetlier this has been confirmed by 

 experience I am not in a position to state, 

 but I think that I have heard that our 

 farmers have not a very high opinion 

 of it." 



TMr Lloyd, Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture, on being shown the sample ot 

 grass, recognised it as a grass which he 

 has had growing on his farm Hidcote tor 

 a long time. He, in common with many 

 others, has a high opinion of it. ine 

 crrass requires good land, and, possibly 

 f rt)m partiality to shade, Mr. Lloyd finds 

 that it thrives best in his orchard. Bive- 

 and-twenty years ago a few acres of this 

 grass were annually cultivated at Bryn- 

 bella by Mr. Lloyd's father, the late 

 General Lloyd.] 



