THE TEOSINTE PLANT.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 135, 1 May 1880, Page 2

THE TEOSINTE PLANT.

Mr. 1 >. L. Murdoch, of the Now Zealand Bank, has received from Sir J. Vogel a package of the seeds of the teosinte plant (Euchlu?na luxurians, or, Iloaua luxurians), for tho purpose of having the plant tried in New Zealand. The seeds arc for presentation to the Acclimatization Society, and part are to be sent, to Hawke's Bay, for the Auckland district is too cold for the plant. The winter's cold, mild through it is in Auckland, is too trying on the constitution of this tropical luxuriantly growing grass. For the last two years various attempts have been made to grow the plant in the. Auckland district. In the summer it did well, but the chilly nights of winter cut oft' the plants. It would be wise to divide the whole of the seed between the Bay of Islands, Mangonui, IJokianga, Ahiparr, the neighbourhood of I'urengarengn, ami Iho station still further to the northward, formerly owned by Mr. Stannus Joins. In these places the plant will probably prove to be perennial in character, and if it became hardier there, it would always bo au easy matter to convey it southward by stages. In the correspondence which which Sir J. Vogel has carried on in Britain about the plant, he has received two letters from Mr. P. C. M. Veitoh, of the Royal Exotic Nursery, Kemp Road, Chelsea, Copies of thi3 correspondence have been forwarded to Mr. Murdoch. In one of these letters Mr. Watch states that tho new forage plant (teosinte) has been recently introduced from Egypt, where, when it is mown down, it " crows again at the rate of a foot in four days. It is a denizen of .Mexico, and is called there teosinte. It is rich in saccharine matter, and highly nutritious. Wherever its cultivation has been tried in tho south of Europe it has been successful, and it is worth experimenting upon in moru northern latitudes." A letter from Nice slates that is a grass of a gigantic size, growing to a size of from three to tour metres ill its native countries (Mexico and Guatemala), hut in the south of France to two and a half metres, it. grows in enormous hunches, and semis ii)) fresh suckers or bunches from t'u<> base. A letter from Erfurt dated October 10. |H7!I, states thai the teosinte. plant recently introduced from Guatemala ia described as growing most luxuriously. "In warm countries it is of perennial duration. It throws up a number of shoots !> to 12 feet high, and is not unlike Indian corn in appearauoe. The safest plan would probably be to raise the young plants in pots, und set them three to four feet apart as soon as all danger of frost is over. This is the way it has been treated in the south of France. The. fodder is said to bo of capital quality, and it is produced in the North of New Zealand." This last remark is scarcely within the bounds of truth, unless the experiments referred to in tho opening remarks be tho " production" which is mentioned. Sir Julius Vogel states that the seed is a private donation on bis part to the Acclimatisation society—"All institution which has done much service in Auckland, and for which I have great admiration."