Supplement to ilie " fropicat Agricutturtst.** [August 1, 1893. 
introduced to the colony about twelve years 
ago by the late Dr. Schomburgh. The tagasaste 
is a species of cytisus or laburnum indigenous 
to the Canary Islands, where it is utilised to a 
great extent for feeding horses and cattle. It 
forms a dense spreading tree, with foliage closely 
resembling that of lucerne, and much relished 
by all kinds ot stock. It grows rapidly upon 
even the poorest land, and under the most 
favourable conditions, which comprise a warm 
climate and a loose, sandy soil ; it frequently 
attains a height of from 18ft. to 20ft. with a 
diameter of from 12ft. to loft., within the short 
space of five years. However, by close planting 
and constant cutting or feeding off it can be 
kept quite dwarf and bushy, and the more often 
it is cut the more valuable it becomes. In the 
report of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens for 1882 
it is stated that stock fatten more quickly on 
tagasaste than anything else, and it is recom- 
mended to mix it when fresh cut with half its 
weight of chaffed straw. Horses are particularly 
fond of tagasaste, and keep in first class condition, 
and work as well on this as when fed with the 
best wheaten hay. The seeds may be sown at 
any time, and the young plants set out during 
the winter months 4ft. or ot. apart each way. 
It will be necessary to cultivate Ijetween the 
rows occasionally for the fir>^t two years, after 
which stock may be turned in and no further 
cultivation required. 
It has been estimated by Reamur that a single 
aphis, which lives only for a few weeks, could, 
if destructive agencies were withdrawn, be the 
progenitor of no less than .j,!K)4,900,C)00 indi» i- 
duals ; the unrestrained increaf-e for 300 days 
would reach to marvellou.s figures — indeed, 
according to Professor Huxley's calculations, the 
descendants of a single aphis would, in 300 days 
• — if restraining influences were removed — amount 
to such an enormous weight as to leave no 
room for man or any other creature. 
We acknowledge with thanks the receipt of 
tiie following periodicals: — .St. Thomas's College 
Magazine, Our Boys, Native Opinion, Jaffna 
Patriot, Royal College Magazine, La Croix, and 
the Diocesan Gazette, 
