Page:The Journal of Indian Botany.djvu/518

90 THE JOURNAL OF INDIAN BOTANY. by the browsing of goats. In later stages, of course, its pods make excellent goat fodder and its wood is invaluable for fuel and for country implements. An ideal condition of this land would be grass- land containing the better fodder grasses with a scattered growth of Acacia arabica, not sufficient to shade more than a tenth of the land. Is there any reason why this condition of things should not come about ?

There is one reason only. That is, the present difficulty, we do not say impossibility, of keeping cattle and men off any part of such areas in order to allow them even for a year to recuperate. Fencing, is necessary, and the goodwill and co-operation of the people concern- ed. There is, however, one village in the Nasik district where with- out fencing, the people annually set apart certain portions of their grazing lands for a rest. If this can be done in one village why should it not be done in all, with or without fencing ?

At present it seems as if wire fencing were out of the question. There seems to us no reason why prickly pear (Opuntia clatior) already found in quantity near every village should not be used as a live fence. It may be objected that to plant this is spreading a pest. We may point out that it is easily kept in control, and that it also gives a use- ful ration in famine years.

The question is not insoluble, and it has got to be solved.

Cattle are the foundation of India's Agricultural wealth. With- out cattle, tillage, manure, milk, and money crops are impossible. The question of the improvement of grasslands is therefore funda- mental, and we hope that our feeble contribution to its solution may be of some little use.

Analyses of three soil

samples from the Kalas Plot.

Physical Analyses

Soil sample

Percentages

Finest silt and fine silt

...

1

14-86

2 19-24

3

14-66

Medium silt ...

...

319

3-89

1-55

Coarse silt ...

...

10-15

11-34

6-90

Fine sand

...

23-90

14-70

15-97

Coarse sand, including stones

...

47-90 100.00

50-83

60.92

100-00

100-00

Humus in same samples

...

044

1-50

050