Further Account of the Tussac Grass. 
51 
vour Lordship, considering it a national object to introduce this 
grass into England. The settler Detleff expects to receive not 
less than 21. \0s. per lb. : probablv, for a large order, he would 
be content with a less price per lb. 
Conceiving that all remarks relative to the tussac grass will be 
in some degree interesting to vour Lordship, I take the libertv of 
noticing that I have proved, to my own satisfaction, nothing can 
answer better than the tussac sown and planted out in rows, the 
tufts of grass being about 6 feet from centre to centre. I am 
resolved to pursue this practice by having a laree field laid out 
at Port William, in order to cut bundles through the winter — to 
ffxlder horses and cattle in a stable, in the same manner as is done 
with Guinea grass in the West Indies. 
I know that at present it may be cut twice in the vear ; but, 
under proper cultivation, it mav be gone over much oftener — it 
greatly improves by cutting, and grows fast. Horses injure it bv 
gi-azing, and pigs destroy it. My present experiment tends to 
show that it will grow on almost any soil : and that it is not ne- 
cessary for it to be exposed to the spray of the sea, although a 
width of from 300 to 400 yards along the shore is the place of 
its natural growth. 
In some places the extent of the patches appears to be verv 
capricious, the reason of which I cannot discover, as it occurs 
where the soil and other circumstances appear to be uniform. 
This is particularly illustrated on an island of some elevation in 
Port Salvador — the appearance of the tussac patch is somewhat 
thus cut off in a straight line from the beach directly upwards. 
Although the tussac grass mav be cut, and amply remunerate 
the planting in the first vear, it seems to take three years (from 
the seed) to arrive at perfection ; but the tufts bear " planting 
out" extremelv well. As to how many years the same roots may 
last, I can offer no information : decaved portions of the root 
appear to accumulate, but in a properlv attended piece of ground 
these would be annual Iv removed. 
Under our present imperfect system, allowing the cattle to roam 
and graze at will — pulling out, wasting and trampling as much as 
they eat — the rough, irregular patches of tussac on Long Island, 
amounting together to about 1.50 acres, keep in good fat condi- 
tion, for six months,* "250 cattle and 70 horses. L nder proper 
* The cattle are kept on Long Island only during the winter months. 
E 2 
