THE ARABIAN MILLET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6563, 29 November 1882, Page 3

THE ARABIAN MILLET.

TO TIIE EDITOR. V Sir., —Please allow me to refer to the interesting article by " Agricola " on the new forage plant, "Arabian" millet, now being introduced by Messrs. Heskoth and Aitken. I could not help noticing that your agricultural contributor appeared to have some sort of premonition that he was assisting to perpetrate what he described as a "sell." The plant was introduced by me, I suppose I may now say some years ago, under its proper name "pearl millet." I grew crops of it, and distributed the seed through my Auckland seed warehouse, advertising it in the papers at the time. We now find it brought out with much exaltation under a new name, emulating, L suppose, the " Steadman's Beauty" fiasco, and some few others. The manufacture of spurious and misleading nomenclature should he discouraged in every possible way. A good number of small swindles arc placed upon the public in this way yearly. I may add that my experience with, pearl millet did not give me the tremendous idea of it those puffins; it under a new name profess to have. It is doubtless of some merit under some circumstances even here, but scarcely equal, and certainly not superior to many other things of the kind we have. And this, together with the difficulty of properly harvesting the seed, owing to the depredations of those unmitigated pests the chaffinch and greenfinch, prot6g£s of the Acclimatisation Society—that rash and, unfortunately irresponsible body with which this part of the colony has been afllicted and who had such asplendid opportunity, of tilling our groves and hedgerows with beautiful, comparatively harmless, and very beneficial feathered friends, but who instead have placed curses upon this colony for all time— have caused me to discontinue its cultivation for some time past.—l am, Sc., Nov. 24, ISB2. C. T. Wren, Kemuera.