296 
Supplement io the " Tropical' ^^^ricultnrist." 
[Oct; Iv 1903: 
Claremont, it kept green and grew right to tlie 
end of the summer," ' ' ' 
Mr. G. M. Mckeown, Manager df the Eiehmond 
River Experimental StatioHj New Sbiath Wales, 
■writes thus aboiit it : — " It is 'probably the best 
fodder plant or'pastuie grass ' yet introduced into 
this district, resisting both heat and' cold, and 
yielding 'enormous quantities of fodder; rnuch 
liked by stock, • and shown by analysis to be of 
excellent quality. Plants in drills 18 inches by 
6 inches apart quickly reaclied 5 feet in height, 
a test cuttiiig giving 13 tons 3 d^t. to the acre'. 
Prom a seed plot sown on the 28th September in 
sub-soil land a second cutting was obtained on 
the 3rd June in the following year, weighing at 
the rate of -19 tons 4 Cwt. to the acre'. Subsequent 
cuttings after saving the seed yielded over 14 tons 
to the acre. 'In ■ deeply worked land at I'e'ast 
three heavy cilttingS may be obtained in 
the 'season. In all seasons good pasture may 
be obtained from this grass, if not over- 
stocked, and' once established, it stands well the 
grazing; and trampling Of stock." ; ' ' 
Mr; H. Martin Williams' of WoUongbar, New 
South Wales,' remarks : — " Four years ago I sowed 
my first seed-bed, and my farm is now practi- 
cally sown veith Paspalum dilatatum, and the 
more I seS of it the more 1 'like it.' Of coui'se 1 
have mixed other grasses \yith it, but the Pas- 
palum is the basis Of the pasture. It has proved 
itself a maiiis'tay, grotoing vigorously when the fierce 
heat Jiad parched up every other grass. It stands 
drought zuell, and frosts do not kill it, and I liave 
even cut it down and run a fire over it, and afier 
this severe treatment it has grown as vigorously 
as ever. ' Its feeding qualities for dairying are 
lindoubted. The quantity of seed to sow an acre 
is 5 lb. to '8 lb. 
Mr. Sergeant, of Victoria, observes that he 
visited a farmi' consisting of lOQ acres, whereon 
'60acres are cleared, and of that area 7 acres are 
taken up' with giirdeil', buildings, etc., leaving 53 
acres under grass (Paspalwn dilatatum) and other 
■grasses. On this at thfe end of four moiiths' 
drought, from October to the end of January, all 
the other grasses had disnippeared, and yet it was 
carrying the following 6tock :— 34 milk cows, • 
2'2 head of young stock froin 12 months to 2 years 
old, 1 bull and 6 horses, making a totnl of 63 
head. The farm was sub-divided into small pad- 
docks, and the .«tock frequently shifted from one 
to the other. Mr. Crawford, after giving an 
analysis of hay made from Paspalum dilatatum 
by Mr. Guthrie, continues : — "This hay compares 
very favourably' With ordinary hay, containing a 
large proportion of digestible and liourishiu* 
material. The best time for sowing is froui July 
to September. The seed cost about 7s. per' lb; 
A seed-bed could be sown and the plants divided 
and planted out Liter in the spring." 
It is understood that this grass {Paspalum dila- 
tatum) has been tried recently in Tirhoot 'with 
some success. Bullocks are. reported to be fond 
of the grass which iil good soil runs to 4 feet. It 
is also believed to flourish on Usur or Alkali lands. 
It is not improbable that in the near future the 
experiments made by private individuals and 
others with this gress may lead to useful results. 
At pre-ent there is a scarcity of seed which has 
to be obtained frona Australia and America. 
Under the heading " The Fodder of the Future," 
the Madras reproduces the following parti- 
cularsdnits issue of the 8th November, 1900: — 
. " Messrs. Law Somner& C->., 139-141, S.vanston 
Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Austr!(li.a, who are 
now in a position to supply seeds of Paspalum 
dilatatum at 5.-. 6d. a pound, postage, etc., extra, 
write as follows to the Secretary, Agri-Horti- 
cultural Society of India ; There can be no 
question as to Paspalum dilatatum being an in- 
valuable grass, and it is now being eagerly sought 
for, since it has passed the stage of experiments. 
It resists both .heat and cold (withstands drought, 
and frosts will not kill it), yields enormous quanti- 
ties of fodder, is much liked by stock, and is shown 
lay analysis to be of excellent quality. A good 
many people have found a difficulty in getting 
,the seed to germinate. In our opinion this has 
been due to their sowing at the wrong time qf the 
year, and in some cases where very. unfavouraWe 
seasons, droughts, etc., have occurred, aftersowing. 
Never sow in the fall of the year, but choose the 
early spring and summer, .just before the ordinary 
season's rains may be expected. The quantity of 
seed to sow per acre varies ■with the requirements ; 
5 lbs. to 8 lbs. per acre on well-prepared gj-ound 
will scon result in a good paddock. If 1| Jbs. to 
2 lbs- per acre are sown, after grazing it should 
be held \ip about September^ and allowed to grow 
on and shed all its seed naturally. It; will soon 
spring u|), and young grass, if anything like a 
favourable season takes place, will be fit to graze 
in May. We consider that allowing the grass to 
shed its Feed is. the very best and surest niethod 
of thoroughly establishing a pasture. When the 
plants are far apart, the grass grows into big 
tussocks, but as soon as the spaces are filled up, 
it forms quite as good a turf as any of the otliei- 
grasses. . . . . 
" There is nothing hard or wiry about this gras.s,, 
it is soft and succulent, and. there is uq, part of 
it I'rom the crown to the seed heads that the stock 
will noti eat." 
