14 
REPORT OF THE CURATOR OF THE 
if we take a moderate estimate of its productive powers. An analysis 
by Professor Voelcker gives tlie following results : — 
Leaves. 
Stem. 
/ 
In Natural 
State. 
Calculated 
Dry. 
r 
In Natural 
State. 
■A 
Calculated 
Dry. 
Water 
88-400 
94-74 
Flesh- forming substances 
2-712 
23-37 
•69 
13-06 
Non-nitrogenised ditto 
... 
... 
... 
... 
Heat and fat producing matters 
6-898 
59-49 
3-81 
72-49 
Inorganic matters (ash) 
1-990 
17-14 
•76 
14-45 
100-000 
100-00 
100 00 
100-00 
From 80 to 120 tons to the acre is stated to be the yield of the 
Prickly Comfrey. Enough has certainly been adduced to render a 
general trial of this plant desirable. The following extract will serve 
to show the capabilities of this plant in a warm climate. The Ceylon 
Times of February 16, 1877, says : — 
“ In December last we alluded to the properties of the new fodder now coming 
into such general use, and which we consider so suitable for poor soils, and there- 
fore presenting inducements for its general introduction into the maritime districts 
of this island. Since we then wrote we have had a long season of drought, and 
on all sides complaints are heard of the scarcity of fodder for cattle, though not 
to the same extent as in India. The following notes on the early trials with this 
new cattle food will perhaps give a better insight into its nature and qualities 
than any other account could do : — Having procured a few sets with roots 
attached we planted them in a plot on the cold clay of the Forest Marble Rock, 
previously slightly manured These sets grew rapidly, and we were soon enabled 
to divide them into more than a hundred individuals as before, which were planted 
in like manner, and so working on till we had as much as a quarter of an acre of 
ground occupied, and our crop was not only abundant, but some of the stems were 
a considerable height, some few having been left to show its mode of growth. The 
rest, however, was used in various stages of growth as cattle food, though we must 
confess to having experienced no little disappointment on our first trials, yet no 
sooner did the cows (especially milch cows), horses, sheep, and pigs begin to un- 
derstand it than they ate it most greedily, and our report upon it was that while 
all creatures seemed to thrive upon the Comfrey, yet in no instance could we find 
the slightest evidence of any evil effects. The crop was enormous, and this too 
upon land of very medium quality ; but we have this year been trying its growth 
on light sandy soil, and can report that all through the season of drought the deep 
thick roots of the Comfrey have drawn up the moisture which rises bygrometri- 
cally in our sand-bed, and the result has been a succession of green leaves when 
surface plants were an utter failure.’ ” 
Another plant — the Prosopis pubescens (Screw or Mesqnit bean of 
South America, the Tornillo of Sonora) attracted general attention 
