2 



ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY, (CEYLON BRANCH.) 



it was got rid of by penning cattle over it. It is used for 

 thatch in Ceylon, " It is a native of moist stiff ground, 

 and particularly common in Bengal, where the fields are 

 white with its tall silvery spikes when in flower after the 

 first rains in April and May. Cattle are not fond of it, 

 particularly when old. It is used in the marriage ceremonies 

 of the Telingas. In Bengal it is much used as thatch. " — 

 Rox. Fl. Ind. I., pp. 231—285. It is a native of Southern 

 Europe, Northern Africa, Senegal, all India, and Chili. 



139. Saccharum SPONTANEUAr, Linn. S. iEgyptiacum, 

 Willd. S. semidecumbens, and S. canaliculatum, Kox. 'Fl. 

 Ind. I., pp. 236 and 240. This is a very common grass in 

 gardens and in fences in Colombo and elsewhere in Ceylon, 

 and remarkable for its tall culms, and long silvery white 

 panicles of flowers. I have never seen it truly wild in the 

 Island. "The leaves of this grass make good mats for 

 various purposes, and are also used for thatching houses. 

 The immense quantity of long, bright, silver-coloured wool 

 which surrounds the base of the flowers gives this species a most 

 conspicuous and gaudy appearance. On the banks of the 

 Irrawaddy, this tall grass is very abundant, and forms a 

 striking object in the landscape. BafFaloes are fed on it." 

 Kox. It is said to be the principal fodder for elephants in 

 British Burmah, Slym's Elephant, p. 14. This is the grass 

 well-known as the Kans of North- Western India. In his 

 Notes on the Flora of Banda, Mr. Edgeworth says, it is found 

 everywhere, and is "the curse of the country."- — Lin. Jl. 9, 

 p. 320. From an article on the Department of Agriculture 

 and Commerce in the Pioneer of 23 rd September, 1880, I 

 make the following extract respecting this grass : — 



tl Kans grass is a coarse grass with very deep interwoven roots 

 which infest; south Jumna districts, in which, like reh in the north 

 of the Jumna districts, it has from time to time laid waste hundreds 



