Ferdinand von Mueller

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Letter not found. The text given here is from Warrnambool standard, 8 October 1895, p. 2 (B95.10.04). The text is introduced by

Recently a farmer at Nullawarre, Mr J. J. Kavenagh, discovered a quantity of grass growing on his land which differed from anything he had previously seen. It grew to a height of about 3 feet, and was an excellent fodder; he accounted for its presence there by the fact that maize had previously been planted there, and the grass seeds had evidently come with it. He handed samples of it to Mr. Jas. Jellie, who made inquiries from Messrs. Harris and Son. The latter sent a sample to Baron von Mueller, who has forwarded the following reply:—

The grass of which you send me a flowering spike, is the

Setaria Italica

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in its most slender form — a kind of club millet. If this variety is cultivated in rich soil, the spike will become much larger. In our winterless clime of the lowlands this is one of the most thankful grasses for cultivation, and one of the quickest for a return from the field. It serves particularly well for stall fodder. In my inexpensive work on select. plants for industrial culture and naturalisation, of which the ninth edition among those in the English language has quite recently appeared (again enlarged and obtained in the Government printing office of Melbourne)

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B95.04.01.

you will find the various excellent qualities of this grass fully explained.