The Florida agriculturist., 1907-12-25
Melilot Grass.

Many years ago, it appears, Dutch
ship was wrecked off the island coast,
and some of the sailors mattresses
were washed ashore These mattresses
were stuffed with what is locally
known now as melilot grass, and this
grass contains a fair amount of seed,
which falling on the sandy beaches,
threw up few tufts and in the course
of years gradually spread, until it now
covers nearly the whole Of the coastal
sandy areas.
Strictly speaking, it is not a grass
at all. 1t is a yellow-Aowered clover,
known botanically as Melilotus offici-
nails, and half-brother of Melilotus
alba, commonly called Bokhara Glow
er. Furthermore, being a leguminOus
plant, it absOrbs a certain amount OF
nitrogen from the atmosphere and
transfers it to the soil. This remark
may appear slightly superAuous to
MANY readers, but it strikes a key
note of Mr.. McDougalls remarks on
the subject. He said in effect:
"The fertilizing power of this grass
is simply wonderful. It has trans
formed King Island from an island
of useless sanddunes into one Of the
best grazing districts Of the common
wealth. This wonderful grass, sown
on raw white beach sand, has in the
course of five years changed the char
acter of it, until at the end of that
time it has become a dark brown
color, in some places almost bla *;
and it's value as soil has increased
100 per cent. Every year it is i'm
proving the value of the land and
gives increasing quantities of feed
Now the export trade Of King Island
consists of fat cattle, dairy produce,
horses, ETC., and by far the most ex-
tensively used grass is melilOt. The
King Island fat cattle always realize
the best prices in the Tasmanian mar
kets, to which the first shipments are
made in August, and continue till
February and March in each year,
over 1900 head Of fat cattle being
sent away this last season The King
Island Cooperative Butter Factory
turns out butter of the highest stan
dard, a good quantity of which is
exported to England, and is always
among those brands that realize the
highest prices. And this butter is
made from COWS whose principal food
is melilot. Sheep and horses also do
remarkably we'll on it. Sheep have
been killed weighing up to I2c
pounds; and the two-year old horses
of King Island are as big as the three
year-olds of Tasmania.
Melilot is very similar to lucerne
in appearance, and grows to an av-
erage height of three feet 1t has
often grown to eight feet high on
heavy ash, in the better class of soil
in the interior of the island. The
average crop of hay is two tons to
the acre, often running as high as
three tons when Algerian oats are
sown with it. Cattle, horses, and, in
fact, all kinds of stock, are very fond
of the hay, which has beautiful aro-
ma When cut green for ensllage 1t
yields about five tons per acre.
| do not wish to boom this as the
best grass there is, because [ know
we'll enough it is not so. For in
stance, I certainly would not advise
one. to discard clover, etc, for NELL
lot;, but what I do claim is that fof
any one who has poor sandy cOuntr !
lying idle, this is the grass; for 1t
not only gives you a large quantity
of good feed, but is each year i'm
proving the quality Of the soil until