50 
MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND ART. 
George Cox, Esq. 
William Lawson, Esq. 
Thomas R. Leavitt, Esq. 
William Buckland, Esq., Macquarie-pl 
H. Heron Beauchamp, Esq., King-street 
Frederick Lassiter, Esq. 
P. II. King, Esq., Goonoo Goonoo. 
T. Woods, Esq. 
The following notices of papers were 
oiven for next month— 
Mr. Theodore West—A brief description 
of a singular insect production, found in 
some parts of Australia. 
Mr. Robert Meston—On the effects of 
acrid and poisonous plants upon graminivo 
rous animals. 
Mr. T. W. Shepherd—Native Plants, 
and the Pastoral, Agricultural, and Horti¬ 
cultural resources of Australia, No. i ■ 
The next monthly meeting will be held 
on Tuesday, September 1st. 
The report of the first annual meeting, 
held on Wednesday, July 22, will he ap¬ 
pended to this number of the. magazine, 
and the report of the Exhibition of Ca¬ 
mellias will be given with next months 
transactions. 
effects upon the land which usually follow such inun* 
(lations, these effects are, however, generally known, 
and science enables the chemist to anticipate them in 
other lands, as the inhabitants of Egypt, from their past 
experience, joyously anticipate the annual n&ing of the 
Nile. 
ANALYSIS OF THE SOIL 
Deposited by the, River Hunter, during the late floods, 
June, 1857. 
Br Mr. Tiif.odobe West. 
Tnr, sample was taken from a paddock near the Long 
Bridge, West Maitland, in which locality fir many 
acres the deposit was from 3 to G inches in depth. 
Per Cent. In 100 grs 
Vegetable Matter. 9'4 or say 9£ 
Carbonate of Lime . 3'3 ,, 3£ 
Sulphate of Lime. '6 „ £ 
Oxide of Iron— .•.10‘3 ,, 10£ 
Chloride of Sodium, (Com. Salt) 1*0 ,, 1 
SilicaS Alumina (Sand & Clay) 75'4 „ 75£ 
1000 1O0 
As the moisture in any soil is, so to speak, accidental, 
and very variable according to circumstances, it is 
usual (as was done in this case) to reduce the specimen 
to a dry state before ascertaining its component parts. 
For the information of any not familiar with the 
terms used, or the general Tesnlt to be deduced from 
such an analysis, it may be well to explain that these 
ingredients are generally found in natural soils. 
Vegetable matter from dead leaves, &c., Salts of Lime 
are invariably found, but in a limestone district in 
larger proportion. Oxide of Iron assists to give to a 
seif its dark coIout. Common Salt is generally diffused 
throughout nature in small proportion: and those esti¬ 
mated hv chemists as insoluble residue, namely, Sand 
and Clav, constitute the greater part of all earthy sub¬ 
stances." As a whole 1 consider this will prove decidedly 
fertile. It would, however, be beneficial for various 
reasons to promote the natural drainage from it, and 
plough it in, as soon as practicable. It may seem little 
convention to tV inhabitants of a district suffering 
recce* a. w infinity, still less whilst overwhelmed 
: si: lilar visit-iic:i, to speak of the beneficial 
The following letter was read by the 
Secretary :— 
To His Excellency Sir Wm. Denison, Kt., K.C.B. 
Governor General, See., op New South Wales. 
Kempsey, July, 18 tk, 1857. 
Sir, 
It is with pleasure I now lay before your 
Excellency the following observations on two species of 
grass introduced into this colony. 
The first, to which I beg to call your Excellency s 
attention, is tho “Doob Grass” of the Hindoos, “ Cyno- 
don Dacli/ton." This grass was first brought under 
mv notice bv a Captain Wright of the H.E I.C. service, 
who came to this colony with mo in the year 1831; he 
was then on his return to India, where he had been on 
active service for many years. 1 was, at the period 
alluded to, residing in Spring-street, Sydney, in the 
house now occupied by Mr. George Heece. Captain 
Wright, when on a visit to me, saw some grass growing 
in the front of the house, on the side of the footpath, 
which he instantly recognised as the Doob Grass, and 
confirmed to me the valuable qualities attributed to it; 
tho “ florins Grumincus Woburnensis," edited by 
George Sinclear, F.L.S., F.U.S., &c., and published 
under the auspices of John, Duke of Bedford. 
How this plant became first introduced into Sydney 
is not, 1 believe, known. It was probably by accident. 
On becoming acquainted with the facts mentioned by 
Captain Wright, I called the attention of a friend to it, 
on whose property, near Sydney, I found it growing. 
I induced mv friend to scud as much of the rooted 
plants as filled a large cask, to his son, then in Van 
Dicroan's Land, where it was planted, and I heard 
thrived well. On leaving Sydney for tills district, I 
brought some plants with me, and had them planted 
near'to mv residence. From these it spread rapidly, 
and mav now he found for 60 to 70 miles higher un tho 
river, and forcing its way on every side, m some places 
covering nianv acres of land. _ 
It mav, perhaps, be interesting to your Excellency to 
know iri what wav this highly celebrated grass has be¬ 
come so widclv dcsseminated. Horses and horned cattle 
are excecdincrty fond of it, and as in this colony, during 
the greater part of the year, this grass sends forth 
abundant flowering stems, the seed of which rapidly 
mature, and before thcV shed on the ground are cropped 
and eaten in great abundance with the more succulent 
leaves. The "seeds are so minute that they escape the 
process of mastication and are carried into the stomach. 
The seed is unaffected by the gastric juice in the rumin 
of the- ox, and in the stomach of the horse, and is de¬ 
posited on the surface of the ground in the excretions 
of these animals, in which it may frequently be seen 
germinating, especiallv if deposited in a damp situa¬ 
tion. Frora this cause tho grass first makes its appear- 
ance on the outside of stockyards—working bullocks 
and milch cows, as soon as they are released, eagerly 
feed upon this. They sow the seed afterwards where- 
ever thev go. Along the sides of dray-rovds it may be 
seen for" hundreds of miles. It spreads rapidly over 
paddocks in which cattle are confined who have pre- 
viously fed upon it. 
The Doob Grass adapts itself to every kind of soil— 
thriving on sand, clay, and gravel, on exposed and 
otherwise barren hills, on the rich plain and brush, ana 
on low damp lands. It endures the greatest heat but 
becomes brown and dry from the effects of frost It 
sustains the closest feeding off without injurv, pushing 
its way with its long wiry side shoots m all directions. 
