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This plant has been planted in both Florida and Puerto Rico, 
■where Smyth (370) indicated its probable usefulness as a tick eradica- 
tor. Its sticky excretion did not kill young ticks, but simply de- 
terred their crawling upward to contact an animal*— Rosenfeld ( 348 ) . 
This species has the odor of cumin and is seid to repel mosquitoes 
and tsetse flies. The fresh leaves are covered with plpnduler hairs, 
which exude a viscid oil. — Finnemore ( 157 , p. 151). 
The whole plant is reported in East Africa as insecticidal. — 
Bally (50). 
Experiments in West Africa proved it to have no deterrent effect 
on mosquito breeding* The effect on tick larvae can be observed in a 
test tube, the action of the glandular hairs being purely mechanical. 
That tsetse flies can be so repelled is open to doubt. --Dal ziel ( 112 ). 
During the last 10 years in Venezuela paddocks for domestic animals 
have been planted with a coarse grass. In such paddocks, when the grass 
was green, mosquitoes, snakes, etc., were almost extinct. Cattle covered 
with ticks when entering such planted areas would be free of these 
parasites after a few weeks, provided they were kept entirely on this 
grass in the green stage. It has a peculiar penetrating and pleasant 
odor. When walking through the damp pasture one's boots appear as to 
have been greased. This probably is the principal secret of its anti- 
verminous effect, for any kind of oily or greasy substance is fatal to 
ticks. We have cultivated this insectproof grass even on anthills. 
The ants, especially the large Venezuelan "bachacos," often destroy a 
field of green maize and other foliage in a very short time; yet they 
avoid destroying the M. minutiflora . We consider it the most useful of 
all the pasture grasses in the Tropics, and recommend planting it a- 
round all dwellings in the country. — Morgan (287 ) . 
ORYZA SATIVA L. Rice. 
Oil of rice was attractive to the oriental cockroach in 35 counts 
and repellent in 40 counts.— Cole ( 101) • 
PANICUM ANTIDOTALE Retz. Synonym: P. subalbidum Kunth. 
In India the smoke of the burning plant was used for fumigating 
wounds. — Watt ( 422 , v. 6, pt. 1, p. 7). 
STIPA VTRIDULA Trin. Sleepy grass. 
The powder from thi6 grass, used as a dust, had no effect on tent 
caterpillars but had a slight effect on cockroaches •-- Molndoo and 
Sievers (259, p. 23). 
LIBRARY 
STATE PLANT BOARD 
