FORAGE-CROP EXPERIMENTS AT SAX ANTONIO. 25 



difficult to plow, requiring four heavy mules hitched to a sulky 

 plow to break the laud in the spring. This may be an objection to 

 its being grown on a large area, unless the roots are allowed to decay 

 before plowing. In the coast country it is being grown quite exten- 

 sively and the reports show it to be a valuable pasture and hay grass. 

 If the field is not irrigated for a season it is said that there i^ no 

 difficulty in plowing the land. 



The plat of Para grass just mentioned was transplanted in field 

 D3 in February, 1909, but was not irrigated that year. In 1910 

 this plat received eight irrigations and a hay yield of 4.65 tons was 

 obtained. 



Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) has also been tried and appears 

 to be somewhat more promising than Para grass. The plat was 

 treated the same way as the plat of Para grass and in 1910 gave a 

 yield of 5.29 tons per acre in two cuttings. This grass sets seed 

 freely, while Para grass has not been known to seed hi this country. 

 On the plat of guinea grass the stand was very thin in 1909, but in 

 1910 there was an excellent stand brought about by the grass reseed- 

 ing itself. (PI. IV, fig. 2.) 



In July, 1910, a one-eleventh-acre plat was planted to Rhodes-gra>s 

 (CJdoris gayana), which made a very satisfactory growth. From two 

 cuttings 4.5 tons per acre of very excellent hay was obtained. 



Owing to the somewhat severe winter of 1910-11 the spring stand 

 of grass from all these plats was very poor, as they had been badly 

 winterkilled. As this has not happened before, there is no reason 

 for making an adverse report on any of the varieties until more 

 extensive trials have been made. 



MINOR FORAGE CROPS. 



LENTIL. 



Six varieties of lentil (Ervum lens) were planted in February, 1908. 

 None of the varieties tested gave promise of sufficient value to war- 

 rant extensive experimentation. 



MUNG BEANS. 



In the spring of 1908 two varieties of urd (Phaseolus max), S.P.I. 

 Nos. 16129 and 17309, and one variety of mung bean {Pliaseohis 

 radiatus), S. P. I. No. 16793, were tested. While these beans proved 

 somewhat more promising than some other leguminous plants tested, 

 they did not show indications of equaling either cowpeas or stizolo- 

 biums, and so were discarded. 



CHICK-PEAS. 



In March, 1908, seven varieties of chick-peas (Cicer arietinum) were 

 tested. These varieties seem not to be adapted to this district. 



[Cir. 106] 



