The discovery of new and easily cultivated fodder plants, especially those adapted to hot countries, is a matter which now excites great attention in India and the colonies. It is inevitable that this should be the case, as the primitive physical conditions of newly page 12 settled countries gradually give way before the changes brought about by their occupation for agricultural and other industrial purposes.

Both in North and South Australia the conservation of the natural pasture is already attracting grave consideration. Where the mischief has gone too far and is irremediable the vegetation which is gone must be replaced by some substitute foreign to the soil. Some of the more important of the fodder plants which during the past year have come under our notice at Kew are discussed in the following paragraphs:—

1. Prangos pabularia.—

An application for seeds of this plant has been addressed to Kew from Queensland, where attention has been directed to it as a cure for fluke in sheep. Without estimating its merits in that respect, I felt obliged to point out that the plant was a native of Tibet, was no longer in cultivation in this country, and would, therefore, be difficult to procure. In Tibet it was useful in dry districts in defect of all other forage plants. It failed, however, in Kashmir, and is utterly unfitted for Queensland. Its cultivation was attempted in England some 30 years ago, and entirely disappointed all expectations.

2. "Prickly Comfrey."—

This is a species of Symphytum which has recently been prominently brought into notice as a forage plant. It is apparently identical with a Symphytum which has long been naturalised in the neighbourhood of Bath and elsewhere, and which has been identified by botanists with. S. asperrimum, a native of the Caucasus. Neither the naturalised nor the forage plant appear to be really identical with that species, but have been found by Mr. Baker to agree with Symphytum peregrinum, which appears to be not certainly known as wild anywhere, but to be probably a hybrid of garden origin between Symphytum officinale and S. asperrimum.

Prickly Comfrey, with, it must be confessed, little judgment, has been tried in a variety of countries where the climate is wholly unsuited to its habit of growth. The result has been attended with a good deal of disappointment. In England it has been found very useful for winter fodder, as it forms large, tufts of root-leaves which start into growth early in the year, and bear several cuttings. It is greedily eaten by animals which refuse ordinary Comfrey, the habit and appearance of which is not very dissimilar.

In India Mr. Buck, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce of the North-west Provinces, reports:—"The general result of the experiment in this department is that the climate of the plains is quite unsuitable to the Prickly Comfrey, the plant having failed whenever it has been tried; but there is still some chance of its succeeding under proper treatment in the hills." (Journ. Agri. Hort. Soc. Ind., N.S., Vol. vi, p. 54.) On the other hand, the Rev. G. Richter reports from Coorg:—"The Prickly Comfrey appears to be firmly established in Coorg; fields seen in different coffee plantations are as luxuriant as can be desired."

Dr. Schomburgk, Director of the Adelaide Botanic Garden, is convinced that the plant is of little use, at least, to the South Australian plains:—"During the winter months the plants throve satisfactorily and produced some fine leaves, but in the month of October the leaves began to suffer, and . . . . . dried up before any of the grasses . . . . . . The same complaint we hear from page 13 New South Wales, Victoria, even from tropical countries, such as Queensland, Ceylon, Singapore, &c., where the planters have been disappointed with it."

3. Téosinté.—

A new tropical fodder-grass, which has attracted a good deal of attention, deserves to be mentioned in this place. The seeds were originally sent in 1868 to M. Durieu de Maisonneuve, Director of the Botanic Garden at Bordeaux, from Guatemala. He communicated the first notice of the plant which hits appeared to the Société d'Acclimatation at Paris in 1872. Subsequently the seeds were widely distributed by the Society, and I have received their produce in quantity from Dr. King in Calcutta, and from Dr. Schweinfurth in Cairo. From Kew they have been sent to Bahamas and the West Indies generally, Cyprus, South and Tropical Africa, Australia, the United States, and numerous applicants and correspondents.

The grass is essentially tropical in its habits. Mons. Thozet in Queensland found single seeds to give rise to as many as 32 stems, each 12 feet high. Dr. Schweinfurth is said to have harvested at Cairo as many as 12,000 seeds as the produce of three single grains, and Vice-Consul Calvert states that at the same place in July of last year "the plant, after having been mown down, grew one foot in four days."

Dr. R. C. Sandars, of Azimgurh, reports to the Agri-Horticultural Society of Madras:—"Each seed was put in at intervals of five feet, but some two months back each plant had so spread that all touched; some have from 100 to 120 shoots. To give air to those plants which I wished to seed, I had some of the plants cut nearly to the ground. Cattle eat what was cut most greedily, both in its fresh state and also when dry; and the plants which were cut instantly grew again, and are now fit to cut afresh. The plants have had the advantage of the jail garden, which includes a rich soil and abundance of water."

It is also suggested that it would be a valuable fodder for elephants during the hot months.

Mr. Murton writes from Singapore (2nd October 1878):—"I am going in largely for the Euchlæna; it promises to turn out a capital fodder-plant for this place."

Dr. Schomburgk reports from Adelaide:—"I am in hopes that the plant will turn out a great acquisition to our summer fodder plants . . . . Notwithstanding that after planting our young plants have never been watered, and considering the great dryness of the season, their growth is vigorous."

From the United States the Commissioner of Agriculture reports the attempt to extract sugar from the stalks, "but though a fair proportion of syrup was obtained, crystallisation could not be induced, and the results were unsatisfactory."

Botanically the grass is of very great interest. It is remarkable that before its introduction as a fodder-plant it was unknown to science, and it was at first incorrectly referred to the genera Trip-sacum and Reana. It unites the habit of maize (Zea) with, in many respects, the structure of Tripsacum. As Euchlæna and Tripsacum are incontestably American genera, this fact supplies, as has been pointed out, an argument for the new world origin of maize, a matter which has been disputed.

Euchlæna luxurians grew and flowered under stove treatment in the Royal Gardens last year. It was figured in the Botanical Magazine (Tab. 6414) from this source page 14 this being the first published illustration of the plant. An impression of the plate is given with this report. ^*