A USEFUL WORK.

Otago Witness, Issue 1942, 7 February 1889, Page 8

A USEFUL WORK.

The curator of the Invercargill Public Gar? dens (Mr Waugh) appears to be performing' some useful work from an agricultural as well as a horticultural point of view. A representative of the Southland News recently visited the 1 gardens, chiefly for the purpose of seeing Mr - Waugh's collection of ferns. This being accomplished, something of an equally interesting nature was^ brought under the reporter's notice, and this is how the News mentions the matter: — We are about to take our leave, with thanks to Mr Waugh for his courtesy, when he remarked—-" Oh, by the way, you might like to see the grasses."—" Grasses ? Do you mean those on the lawn spaces ?"—" No, but those I am growing by way of experiment in order to test their respective adaptability to local and climatic conditions." Mr Waugh leading the way, we saw in succession some 30 varities of grasses grown separately, Hearly all being in a state of inflorescence. The form and habit of growth of each was thus displayed to perfection, and it was easy to see at a glance which was most capable of resisting drought, the ground being, to use a colloquial expression, "as drj as dust." There were several that seemed absolutely to revel in the torrid sunshine, whilo others looked as if they were thirsty, and badly wanted a sprinkling of rain. As time would not permit of making notes on'the spot, we begged of Mr Waugh to prepare a "little list" at his leiasure, giving the netresuls of his observations. This he has since done in the shape of a XIST OF GRASSES GROWN IN SMALL PATCHES IN THB CORPORATION NURSERY. Agrostis Scabra, au| Auatraliaa grass, said to be a kind which stands heat; the roots do not run so muoh as the other kinds of Agrostis. Agrostis Vulgarit, two varieties, also sometimes A Stolonifera and generally called couch or creeping toenC, ana classed as a weed. It i» oaten, however, by cattle and sheep, and is certainly a great deal better thau Cape weed and Yorkshire fog, and will grow in poor sour ground. It does not stfvud much heat. Triticum repens, the worst kind of couch, is not here yet as fir as known. The extract of the leaves of this grass is largely used by medical men for various forms of internal inflammation. It it very expensive, costing about 20s per ounce. Alopecurus Pratcnsis, the meadow foxtail, one of the very best pasture grasses, and should be sown along with cocksfoot and other permanent kinds instead of so much ryegrass. Antkoxanthwn Berardii, an improved variety of the Bweet vernal grass; the common sort is not much liked by the farmers. Arrhenatherum Avenaceum, tall oat grass; it has bulbous roots. - Arundo Arenarius, one of the sea-side sand grasses, a strong runner, and not of much use as a pasture grass. Arundo Conspicua, the native toe-toe, or tois-tols, and more ornamental than useful. Bromus Utiioloides, prairie grass, found in a garden in Bast lnvercftrfjill; it gets a great name, especially In Australia. I think it will require warmer ground thnn we have about luvercargill. Danthonia Anmdaris, a small, brown, native grass. It often comes up again after the ryegrass has disappeared. Dichelaehne Crinita, a bright, green, native grass, ikely to be a good sort it the seed of it could be got. Elymtls Arenarius, a sea-side sand grass, with broad leaves and running roots. Festuca Elatior, tall fescue; it has broad loaves, aud would produce a large amount of herbage in good ground. Festuca Gigantea, another tall sort. Festuca Littoralis -This is the native seaside tussock, and the best of our native plants for stopping sand. Its roots do not run, but it grows easily from seed. Festuca Ooina (sheep's fescue).—Five varielies, all good sheep grasses or good in any mixture; alao uaed for lawns. One of the varieties is often called the hard fescue. Their leaves are all narrow, or, rather, involute, or like a piece of half-round spouting. Festuca Pratcnsis.—Two varieties, the meadow fescue. The leave 3of one sort are involute, aud both have running roota. The farmers here are very suspicious of this grass, some of them thinking it Is couch, but it gets the highest character as one of the best English meadow grasses. Festuca Scovaria.—Uhe Stewart Island fescue. It seems a good grass, but has not been tried hi cultivation. J&olinm Italicum (Italian ryegrass).— Deeper rooting and more permanent than ryegrass. It has light green leaves, and the florets are 3.w ued; one of the best for mowiug. Hierochloc licaolcns.—A glossy gceen native grass with broad leaves. It generally grows in deep rich ground; it has not been tried in cultivation; it scents hay in the same way aa sweet vernal. Poa Breviglumis.—Another good native grass, if the sied could be obtained. Poa Intermedia.—Ths native|mountain blue tussock, and one of the main sheep grasses in New Zealand. Phhum Pratcnse (Timothy).—A well-known sort. Poa Pratensis (the English meadow grass or American blue Kentucky grass).—lt has deep-running roots, and i% suspected by this farmers. Triticum Scabrum.—A. native roadside kind of which something might be made in cultivation. The foregoing list includes, we believe, grasses that were being grown in boxes of nearly pure sand for transplantation upon the sand dunes of the peninsula between the New river and the Ocean Beach. These grasses, although evidently of the season's growth, looked healthy, despite the sterile nature of their root hold. But they would certainly have to be protected by wire netting of some similar means when first planted out, as otherwise the rabbits would make short work of them. After viewing the several kinds of grasses, the seed of which has been obtained by Mr Waugh from various quarters, one could not but feel impressed with the fact that in an unpretentious way he is doing a service of the highest importance to the agricultural commuuity, not of Southland alone, but of New Zealand at large. Few farmers have the time or inclinalion to make experiments with grasses. They tnke the particular kinds of mixtures commonly recommended, and leave the rest to chance. Bufc here they have an opportunity of seeing and studyiug for themselves the special merits or demerits of numerous varieties. Some of the settlers in Hawke's Bay have for years past made good incomes by growing a grass seed in request in the Home Country. From the stock of seed that Mr Waugh will, as a matter of course, garner growers might in time to come raise stocks of pure kinds that would fine ready sale in the neighbouring colonies, the Home Country, aud on the Continent, perhaps even ia America. We are speaking within bounds wh.en saying that no Southland farmer

should miss the opportunity of seeing for Tiimself the sortS'growing in the Corporation Nursery. For he could nofc fail to derive lessons of practical value—lessons that might enable him to materially augment the returns from land possibly uusuited to cereals or root cultivation.; A Canadian Expert on Batter Making. The|other day Mr William Brown, Professor of Agriculture at the Agricultural College, Ontario, Canada, who is now on a visit to the colonies, gave the following information relating to butter making hi Canada to the Victorian Royal Commission on Vegetable Products. Professor Brown explained that he was himself one of the founders of the butter factories (which bad since spread over the whole of the United States as well) and manager of the dairy at the Ontario College, from which upwards of 60,0001b were i sent in the year. From what he had seen, the various opperations for obtaining butter by mechanical means were baing well taught by the Government of Victoria, but the trouble ap1 peared to be to get the farmers to co-operate. Of course, with regard to factories, there was a great objection to the farmers being compelled, if they wanted it, to carry the skim-milk back again from the factory to the farm. No factory, also, would pay very well unless there were frpm 400 to 500 cows supplying it. Farmers might co-operate too in so far that one could arrange to take the milk from a certain number of farms to the factory, or they might purchase a separator amongst them. The greatest difficulty, however, was the compelling farmers to go to the factory for the skim-milk. Some factories in Canada had got over this by themselves going to the farms for the fresh milk, and in .return taking back the skim-milk. This latter was worth half as much to the ordinary farmer as whole milk. Another grievance with the factories was that, though it was fully recognised that cows varied to a very great extent in the cream-producing qualities of their milk, yet the factories' authorities persisted in the system of paying for the milk by weight without respect to its qualities in the production of cream. This might be easily got over by arranging for payment by result. The paper concluded with the advocacy of the issue of bulletins or pamphlets giving instruction in dairying, and a recommendation to secure a standard of milch cows for dairying. In commenting further on this important matter, Professor Brown expressed himself highly pleased with the system of teaching instituted by the Government in the Government dairies. In the United States butter factories and creameries were largely increasing in numbers, and in some places wore now so close that the farmer had a choice of several. The compulsory cartage had, as he re- : marked in his paper, been in many cases abolished, and the companies were sending to tbe farms for the milk, returning tbe skim in the same way, or they took the cream alone where the farmers used cream separators. In reply to Mr Knight, Professor Brown said that the system of selling the skim-milk from tbe factories by contract was not recognised in America. At some factories pigs were kept, but this was a pernicious practice, and one to which he strongly objected. Looking at the commercial aspect of the case, he thought if the colonies did not bestir themselves they would have to look for very great opposition from America, especially in the matter of winter dairying. At the Ontario College no separators were used now, the cream being brought out by assisting Nature to a certain degree. The [cans used were about 20in deep, by Bin in diameter, and before having the milk deposited in them were slightly warmed to bring them to the temperature of new milk—about 85deg. The milk was then put by for a short time in a room of ordinary temperature—say about 70deg. After a time the cans were immersed in cold water, which brought the temperature down to 50deg. Ice-water was next applied, which finally brought it down to 40deg or 35deg, the whole process occupying about eight hours. It had been found by actual test that this gradual cooling of the milk very much improved the quality of the cream, tbe results being the beet. He certainly did not approve of any method which had for its object the instantaneous reduction of the temperature of the milk.