6U TBE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



Raspaium Dilatatum. 



REPORTS ON PROPAGATION. 



DEAR SIR,— On Uth Aug. last I planted 

 the Paspalum dilatatum seed, and 

 also the twelve kinds of tree seeds sent 

 me from the Agricultural Department. 

 All "were sown in beds well dug and 

 lightly manured with ash and bones 

 (dissolved). All have grown, and I have 

 now some thousands of the Paspalum 

 dilatatum plants growing healthily. Till 

 you were good enough to send me a young 

 sample plant of the Paspalum dilatatum 

 I was not sure of it. I have now re- 

 moved all other grasses that came up with 

 it, and have a bed 30 ft. by 8 ft. one 

 mass of the plants. I enclose you one 

 plant carefully dug up, and you will see 

 the root has gone down nearly 8 inches, and 

 this after only being sown three months. 

 I think this simply marvellous, and no 

 doubt I may have broken off the very 

 fine end of the root in getting it up. If 

 this grass will stand our frosts it will 

 prove a great boon to us. I have no fear 

 of any drought in this country interfering 

 with its growth.- I will report again 

 later, after I have transplanted to the 

 fields. I will also let you know how the 

 various trees grow and stand our climate, 

 those growing are : — Euc. Polyanthema, 

 Euc Crebra, Euc. Paniculata, Euc. Sidero- 

 phloia,Euc. Punctata, Euc. Pilularis, Euc. 

 Sideroxylon, Euc. Saligna, Euc, Micro- 

 corys, Euc. Hemiphloia, Euc. Resinifera, 

 Euc. Acmenoides. 



Yours truly, 



Percy D. Simmons. 

 Bray Hall, Mooi River. 



P.S. — If any local fariiiers care for 

 plants of the Paspalum dilatatum and 

 will come for some thej are more than 

 welcome. 



Ailbury, Ixopo, 



24th November, l'.)01. 



Sir,— Seeing the correspondence in the 

 Agricultural Journal tq Paspalum dila- 

 tatum, I beg to say that on the 27th of 

 September, IHOI, I sowed a patch of seed 

 in di ills on clay soil, which was moist but 

 not manured in any way. 



I first noticed the grass coming up on 

 the 30th October, and it is now doing 

 well. 



On I7th October I sowed another patch 

 on sandy soil well dressed with sheep 

 manure, and saw the first grass up on 5th 

 November. This patch is also growing 

 well. 



Yours, etc., 



J. E. Cooper. 

 The Hon Minister of Agriculture. 



Longwood, Ennersdale, 



25th November, 1901. 



Sir, — As promised, I send you the re- 

 sult of my trial of the Paspalum dila - 

 tatwn seed you sent me. 



I tried it under several conditions, and 

 in all cases it was a great success. All 

 was planted in the poorest soil I could 

 find, red sub-soil, the best of my land 

 being but poor. Some I left in the shade 

 for two months, and it did not show any 

 sign of germinating until I brought it 

 into the sunshine, when it came up in 

 two days as thickly as possible. That 

 which was well watered and kept in the 

 sun came up in eighteen days. 



I don't find it a fast-growing grass in 

 comparison with many. I planted at the 

 same time some Californian oat grass sent 

 me by Mr. Buttemer, which has grown at 

 double the pace. 



I make grass trials a hobby, and I can 

 say I never found a seed germinate better 

 than the Paspalum you sent me. Few 

 grasses (with the exception of cocksfoot 

 and Kentucky blue grass will germinate 

 and mature in the shade at an altitude of 

 5,000 feet. 



I should say Pas2JalumiB a small millet. 



I have transplanted a good quantity 

 without any trouble, and have had no 

 failure. If it will surpass our natural 

 grasses (which, taken all round as a mixed 

 lot, ai e hard to beat), Paspalum will in- 

 deed be woith having. 



Yours, etc., 



Theodore Woods. 



The Hon. Minister of Agriculture. 



