You will see [, Baron von Mueller replies,] 1 that in the Select Plants for Industrial Culture (latest edition, 1891)2, the two kinds of Birdfoot clovers, namely Lotus corniculatus and Ornithopu's cativas,3 are recommendable as herbage for sandy pastures. Meditago4 media (the yellow Luzern) and Lespedeza striata should also be tried. Among grasses for sandy pastures Cynodon Dactylon5 and Agrostis stolonifera are excellent, though not tall. The seeds of Cynodon are very small, therefore the quantity required per acre will not be large. From 12 lb. to 15 lb. would suffice, the price at the seed merchants being about 2s. 6d, per lb. Agrostis seeds are also very small, and are advertised by the seed dealers at 1s. 6d. per lb. Lespedeza seeds can now also be bought at the traders, and about.10 lb. per acre is sufficient. Let me recommend that your correspondent obtains my cheap volume on Select Plants from the Government Printing office, as he will find many other plants for poor pasture lands mentioned in it.
Agrostis stolonifera
Cynodon Dactylon
Lespedeza striata
Lotus corniculatus
Meditago media
Ornithopu's cativas
Leader's interpolation.
B91.09.01.
Typesetter's error for Ornithopus sativus?
Typesetter's error for Medicago?
i.e. Cynadon dactylon.
Letter not found. The text given here is from 'grasses for sandy lands', Leader (Melbourne), 2 September 1893, p. 9 (B93.09.12). It is dated on the assumption that the item would have been published as soon as possible after receipt by the weekly newspaper, so that 28 August is the likely earliest date it was written. M's letter is in response to a letter received by the Leader seeking advice on whether there are grasses 'suitable for covering sandy land — such as forms the country near Dromana, Rye, Sorrento, Portarlington and such places' [all areas around the southern end of Port Phillip Bay, Vic].
Please cite as “FVM-93-08-28a,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on