On /he Tussac Grasi' in the Falkland Islands. 10 
sunshine, occurred very often — much more frequently than in 
Eno:land. 
U])on the whole, the winter, though considered in this place as 
very severe, would have been thoufjht a mild one in England. 
The dryness of the air is now again beginning to be apparent, 
and a fine summer is anticipated : already the thermometer has 
risen as high as G9". My present opinion therefore is, that the 
winters in the Falklands may be considered very mild, but moist, 
though not rainy, and with little wind. The moisture does not 
arise from rain or fog, but from the nature of the ground (a light 
soil upon a tenacious subsoil), numerous springs and rivulets, 
and the absence of the evaporating winds of summer. 
The plant described as the tussac by Mr. Hooker, in the en- 
closure whicli I had the honour of forwarding with my report, is 
of the genus Carex, and proves not to be the real tussac of the 
islands — which it very much resembles, and might easily deceive 
any person, the more so as it grows in the same situations, and is 
also eaten by the cattle. My friend Mr. Hooker has since given 
very great attention to this useful and interesting plant, which is 
a true grass, and in very much greater abundance than the other. 
As soon as I can collect some ripe seeds, I will also take the 
liberty of forwarding them ; as perhaps your lordship may deem 
the grass worthy of a trial in England, both inland, as on chat- 
moss, and on the sea-coast. 
Some seeds of the tussac grass, sown in the government garden, 
in good soil, different from that in whicli it grows naturally, and 
at a little distance from the sea, have shot up, and are likely to 
prove that this valuable fodder for cattle may be cultivated in any 
soil ; but it evidently prefers moisture, and would probably re- 
quire irrigation in a dry soil at any distance from the sea. 
During several long rides into the country I always, as I have 
before stated, found the tussac flourishing most vigorously on 
spots most exposed to the sea, and in soil unfit for anything else 
to live in, — viz. the rankest peat-bog, black or red. It is singular 
to observe the beaten footpaths of the wild cattle and horses, as 
marked as a footpath across the fields in England, extending for 
miles over wild moorland, and always terminating in some point 
or peninsula covered with this favourite fodder; and amidst which 
it is almost certain to meet with solitary old bulls, or perhaps a 
herd, or a troop of wild horses just trotting off, as they scent it 
from a great distance. 
To cultivate the tussac, I would recommend that the seed be 
sown in patches, just below the surface of the ground, and at dis- 
tances of about 2 feet apart, and afterwards weeded out, as it 
grows very luxuriantly, and to the height of 6 or 7 feet. It 
should not be grazed, but reaped or cut in bundles. If cut, it 
c 2 
