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Appendix C. (Part I.)
Synopsis of Three Returned Tabular Circulars, with Information on certain Introduced Grasses, in answer to the Committee's Inquiries. By J. C. Boys, M. Dixon, and S. D. Glyde.
The localities reported from are all in the province of Canterbury—viz., Eyrewell, altitude 500 feet, by Mr. Dixon; Prebbleton, altitude 60 feet, by Mr. Glyde; Rangiora, altitude 80 feet, and Christchurch, altitude 15 feet, by Mr. Boys.
1. Lolium perenne. Common Rye-grass.—Altitude 80 feet; thrives in moist rich clay; flowers from November to March; good all the year round; resists drought badly; most valuable of grasses for general purposes; resists frost very fairly when the ground is well drained, not otherwise; is increasing; does not contain so much nutritive matter as many of those following.—Boys.
Altitude 500 feet; flowers three weeks in December; useful from spring to autumn; will not stand drought; is valuable as a mixture; will diminish with heavy stocking.—Dixon.
Altitude 60 feet; thrives in dry soil; flowers in December; good spring grass; resists drought badly; is diminishing.—Glyde.
2. Lolium italicum. Italian Rye-grass.—Altitude 500 feet; will diminish; serious damage is apt to be caused by the seed being sold in quantities for permanent pasture instead of permanent grasses—Dixon.
Altitude 60 feet; thrives in dry soil; flowers in December; a summer grass; resists drought well; stock like it better than common rye-grass; is increasing.—Glyde.
3. Dactylis glomerata. Cock's-foot.—Altitude 80 feet; thrives in moist rich clay; flowers from middle of December to end of February; useful spring, summer, and autumn; resists drought better than rye-grass; stock fond of it when not too old, but should be kept fed down; second grass in value; resists frost badly; is increasing; no pasture land should be without it.—Boys.
Altitude 500 feet; flowers two or three weeks in January; is useful early and late; resists drought well; valuable early grass; resists frost well; requires sowing on dry pastures.—Dixon.
Altitude 60 feet; thrives in dry soil; flowers in January; useful summer grass; resists drought well, but frost badly; should be kept fed close or it grows tufty.—Glyde.
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4. Phleum pratense. Timothy.—Altitude 80 feet; thrives in moist rich clay; flowers from beginning of January to March; useful spring, summer, and autumn; resists drought badly, but will stand any amount of wet; everything ravenous after it; the finest grass in the world and the most nutritive; most valuable in consequence of not spreading; is decreasing; no pasture land should be without it, although everything from the sheep to the caterpillar is so fond of it, which is why I place it fourth as to value.—Boys.
Altitude 500 feet; very good on wet, good in all soils; flowers three weeks in February; very good summer grass; likes moisture and good land; very valuable feeding grass; does not resist frost well; will increase in suitable localities.—Dixon.
5. Cynosurus cristatus. Crested Dog's-tail.—Altitude 80 feet; thrives in moist rich clay; flowers from middle of December to middle of February; useful summer and autumn; resists drought well; third grass in value; resists frost well; is increasing; forms a nice sward, and thrives on the wet as well as on the dry banks.—Boys.
Altitude 500 feet; good in all soils, very good in dry; flowers second week in January; good all the year round; resists drought well; is increasing; will increase on the native grasses; forms a valuable mixture.—Dixon.
6. Anthoxanthum odoratum. Sweet-scented Vernal.—Altitude 80 feet; thrives in moist rich clay; flowers in middle of October, and seed is all shed by middle of December; useful spring grass; I should place it about twentieth on the list as to value; increasing in the paddock in which it was sown, but does not seem to spread over the farm; not a good grass, throws scarcely any feed, but gives the hay a sweet scent, and is very early.—Boys.
Altitude 500 feet; thrives in all soils; flowers first week in November; useful winter and spring; resists drought very well; valuable as a mixture; resists frost very well; is increasing; will increase on the native grasses.—Dixon.
7. Festuca pratensis. Meadow Fescue.—Altitude 80 feet; thrives in moist rich clay; a useful summer grass; fifth in value on the list; resists frost pretty well; is increasing; it is one of the best grasses for permanent pasture, and forms a good sward.—Boys.
Altitude 500 feet; thrives in all soils; flowers second week in January; useful spring, summer, and autumn; resists drought very well; valuable mixture; is increasing; should not think it would increase with heavy stocking.—Dixon.
8. Festuca ovina. Sheep's Fescue.—Altitude 500 feet; thrives as sheep pasture in all soils; flowers first week in January; useful in winter and all the year round; resists drought very well; valuable mixture; resists frost very well; is increasing, and forms close undergrowth.—Dixon.
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9. Festuca heterophylla. Various leaved Fescue.—Altitude 500 feet; thrives in dry sheep pastures; flowers first week in January; resists drought very well; valuable mixture; resists frost very well; is increasing, and forms close undergrowth.—Dixon.
10. Festuca duriuscula. Hard Fescue.
11. " rubra. Red Fescue.
12. " tenuifolia. Fine leaved Fescue.
Altitude 500 feet; all thrive on dry sheep pastures; flower first week in January; useful all the year round; resist drought very well; are valuable as mixtures; stand frost very well; are increasing. The special variety will adapt itself to any particular soil where it is sown, and will become duriuscula, ovina, or rubra, according to the poverty of the land or otherwise.—Dixon.
13. Poa pratensis. Smooth-stalked Meadow grass.—Is found about the side walks, Christchurch; altitude 15 feet; thrives in dry rich sandy loam; flowers from 15th November to end of December; useful in early summer; resists drought and frost well; valuable on dry soil, but useless in a stiff wet soil; increasing about Christchurch; forms a close bottom, but patchy; value on list No. 7 or 8.—Boys.
Altitude 500 feet; thrives in dry soil, but good in all; flowers second week in January; useful all the year round; resists drought and frost very well; valuable mixture; stock very fond of it; is increasing; will grow anywhere.—Dixon.
14. Poa trivialis. Rough-stalked Meadow grass.—Altitude 500 feet; thrives on strong soil; flowers third week in January; useful all the summer; resists drought well, and frost very well; stock are not fond of it; cannot speak as to its increase or decrease; stock would eat it after every other.—Dixon.
15. Poa nemoralis. Wood Meadow grass.
16. " nemoralis sempervirens. Hudson Bay Meadow grass.
“I have not been able to distinguish the particular varieties.”—Dixon.
17. Alopecurus pratensis. Meadow Fox-tail.—Altitude 80 feet; thrives on moist rich clay; flowers in November; useful spring grass; stock like it; it is a most valuable meadow grass; is increasing; is absolutely necessary for good permanent pasture ground.—Boys.
Altitude 500 feet; it likes good land, but has done well on medium; flowers early in November; useful spring and summer; forms a valuable mixture; stock very fond of it; stands frost very well; is increasing; will be a very useful grass on the best pastures in New Zealand; resists drought as well as most grasses.—Dixon.
18. Holcus lanatus. Yorkshire Fog.—Altitude 80 feet; thrives on wet peaty land; flowers in November; useful winter grass; is only valuable as
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affording winter feed when all the other grasses have been cut off by frost; increasing a great deal too fast unless the ground be well drained.—Boys.
Altitude 500 feet; thrives everywhere; flowers second week in December; useful in spring, etc.; do not think it stands drought quite so well as some others; stock do not prefer it; resists frost very well; is increasing, and easy of production.—Dixon.
19. Avena flavescens. Golden Bristle grass.—Altitude 60 feet; thrives on dry soil; flowers in December; is a useful autumn grass, and resists drought well, but stock do not like it; is on the increase; it appears to kill other grasses; paddocks that have been sown down any time almost invariably get overrun with it.—Glyde.
20. Avena elatior. Large Oat-grass.—It is a great weed.—Dixon.
21. Ceratochloa unioloides. Prairie grass.—Altitude 500 feet; do not think it will be permanent; stock like it very much, and it resists frost very well, but is decreasing.—Dixon.
Altitude 60 feet; it thrives on dry soil; flowers in December; is a useful autumn grass, and resists drought well; stock very fond of it; stands frost well; is on the increase. There is great difference of opinion with regard to this grass. I had a field of it; it did well first year, second year nothing; ploughed it up and put in wheat, the grass came up in the stubble better than ever.—Glyde.
Note by Mr. Dixon.—I take it for granted that a paddock intended for permanent pasture must be laid down with permanent pasture grasses, and must not on any account be broken up again, as it requires a great number of years to get these grasses established; light stocking should be a rule. My replies must be taken relatively.