308 FIELD CROPS 



In the first case, it dries out, and, in the second, it is killed 

 by frost. As this grass will not grow in shade, it is easily 

 killed by planting the field to an annual crop which will make 

 a dense growth, as oats, sorghum, or cowpeas. Thorough 

 plowing and good preparation, so as to insure a quick, vigor- 

 ous growth of the planted crop, are necessary. Sorghum is 

 perhaps one of the best smother crops, as it grows rapidl}^ 

 and makes a dense shade if planted thickly. 



JOHNSON GRASS 



401. Origin and Description. Johnson grass, Andropogon 

 halepensis, is a native of southern Europe and Asia which is 

 now common throughout the Southern states. It is a strong, 

 vigorous-growing grass with large underground stolons, by 

 which it spreads rapidly. It produces culms from 4 to 7 

 feet high, with numerous leaves 1 foot or more long and }/2 

 to 1 inch wide. The flowers are borne in panicles, resembling 

 those of sorghum, to which it is closely related. In fact, the 

 entire plant except the perennial underground stems closely 

 resembles a small plant of sorghum. The spikelets are in 

 pairs at the nodes or in threes at the ends of the branches, 

 only one of these spikelets containing a perfect flower. The 

 grain is free from the glumes and is similar in appearance 

 to sorghum seed. The plant seeds freely in all the Southern 

 states and, as it spreads rapidly by both the stolons and the 

 seeds, it is generally regarded one of the worst weeds of that 

 section. 



Another species of this genus is Sorghum halepense, a 

 tall, coarse annual. Different varieties of this are cultivated 

 for their saccharine juice or for forage. 



402. Importance. While Johnson grass is a bad weed, it 

 is also one of the best southern hay plants. It will grow 

 on a wide range of soils and in all locations, thriving where 

 there is an abundance of water, yet enduring drought well. 

 It does not grow during a drought, but starts at once into 



