Those Versatile Grasses
p. 112 · Read in the full issue
New Publication
FEW people would call Fiji’s most important economic crop, sugar cane, a grass—but botanically that is what it is. This being so it is included in a new Department of Agriculture publication. The Grasses of Fiji, recently published.
The book, which is written by Mr.
J. W. Parham, the Department’s Assistant Botanist, covers all the species of grass (which the layman is likely to regard as grass) as well as such things as corn, rice and other cereals.
Only about five of the grasses now growing in Fiji are indigenous, the other 153 species have been intro duced. The work of collecting and recording grasses goes back almost 100 years—the first collection hav ing been made by Dr. Berthold Seeman in 1861.
A number of the grasses now growing in Fiji are of use as food (rice, sugar-cane, duruka, corn, etc.); others are used for fodder grasses or
for thatching, and some for build ing—such as bamboos and reeds.
There are also a great number which are weeds.
The book, of 166 pages, gives both a botanical and a non-scientific de scription of each grass.
There are over 70 illustrations,!,i extensive glossary of botanical tep and a very good index.
Copies of the publication maw obtained from the Governrnjn Printing Office, Fiji, for 5/- FijtJ per copy.