164 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



spite of neglect, and when petted and encouraged they make such grateful returns as astonish 

 the benefactor.&quot; 



It seems that it rarely ripens any seed, and the usual method of reproducing it is to chop 

 up the roots with a cutting-knife, sow them broadcast, and plow under shallow. Col. Lane 

 states : 



&quot; Upon our ordinary uplands I have found no difficulty in destroying it by close cultiva 

 tion in cotton for two years. It requires a few extra plowings to get the sod thoroughly 

 broken to pieces.&quot; 



Professor Killebrew, of Tennessee, states that &quot; In Louisiana, Texas, and the South gen 

 erally, it is, and has been, the chief reliance for pasture for a long time, and the immense 

 herds of cattle on the Southern prairies subsist principally on this food. It revels on sandy 

 soils, and has been grown extensively on the sandy hills of Virginia and North and South 

 Carolina. It is used extensively on the southern rivers to hold the levees and the embank 

 ments of the roads. It will throw its runners over a rock six feet across, and soon hide it 

 from view, or it will run down the sides of the deepest gully and stop its washing. Hogs 

 thrive upon its succulent roots, and horses and cattle upon its foliage. It has the capacity 

 to withstand any amount of heat and drought, and months that are so dry as to check the 

 growth of blue grass will only make the Bermuda greener and more thrifty.&quot; 



Mr. Wall, of Mississippi, says of it: &quot;It is a most valuable grass, and is destined to be the 

 salvation of the hill land in Mississippi. With us it has no seed, but can be easily propagated 

 by dropping the cuttings in a furrow, two or three feet apart. It does not endure shade, and 

 can be destroyed by sowing the land with oats, followed by peas. It throws out runners 

 down the sides of the deepest gully, and stops its washing. Hogs thrive upon it and its 

 succulent roots, and horses and cattle upon its foliage.&quot; 



Crow-foot, Yard-grass, Dog s-tail (Eleusine indica). This is an annual grass belong 

 ing to tropical countries, but now naturalized in most temperate climates. In the Southern 

 States it is found in every door-yard, and in all waste places. The culms or flowering stems 

 rise from 6 to 18 inches high, and are usually coarse and thick; the summit is crowned with 

 from 2 to 6 spikes, resembling those of common crab grass, Panicum sanguinale, but much 

 thicker and heavier. It makes a thick bed of rather coarse but rather long and wide leaves, 

 and takes such a firm hold on the soil that it is difficult to pull up a clump by hand. The 

 spikelets are crowded on one side of the flattened spikes, 2 to 6 flowered, and with pointless 

 glumes. 



It is said to form a good and lasting pasturage for stock at the South, although it does 

 not appear to be very highly recommended for cultivation in that section. 



Gania Grass (Tripsacum dactyloides). A tall perennial grass, with solid cluins, broad, 

 flat leaves, and with flower-spikes from 4 to 8 inches long, produced from the side joints 

 or from the top, either singly or two or three together. The upper portion of these spikes 

 is staminate or male, and the lower portion pistillate and producing the seeds. It grows from 

 three to six feet high, with large broad leaves resembling those of Indian corn. The upper or 

 male portion of the flower-spikes drops off after flowering, and the fertile portion easily breaks 

 up into short joints. These joints are thick and polished, and the flowers and seeds are 

 deeply imbedded in them. 



Mr. Howard, in his &quot;Manual of Grasses,&quot; says: &quot;This is a native of the South, from the 

 mountains to the coast. The seed stem runs up to the height of five to seven feet. The seeds 

 break off from the stem as if in a joint, a single seed at a time. The leaves resemble those of 

 corn. When cut before the seed stems shoot up they make a coarse but nutritious hay. 

 It may be cut three or four times during the season. The quantity of forage which can be 

 made from it is enormous. Both cattle and horses are fond of the hay. The roots are 



