LEGUMES AND OTHER FORAGE PLANTS 315 



tion. For this reason it is necessary to use 6 to 10 pounds 

 in seeding an acre. Moreover, a reasonable amount of 

 moisture is necessary for the successful germination of the 

 seed. 



Bermuda grass is an extremely hardy, vigorous, and useful 

 grass in tropical countries. In Hawaii, it was introduced in 

 1835 and now covers a larger area in the Territory than any 

 other single species of grass. In Hawaii, the Bermuda grass 

 is commonly known as manienie, from the Spaniard Marin, 

 who is supposed to have introduced it. It is not valuable as 

 a hay grass. In fact, it seldom reaches a height suitable for 

 cutting. Thousands of acres of grazing land, however, would 

 be practically barren if it were not for the Bermuda grass. 

 Moreover, Bermuda grass is the only grass which has proved 

 satisfactory for lawn purposes. It remains green the year 

 round and is extremely sturdy in contesting the ground with 

 weeds. On the Island of Lanai, 5,000 acres of wind-eroded 

 soil was saved by planting Bermuda grass. This experiment 

 was interesting as showing the great resistance of Bermuda 

 grass to drought. The 5,000 acres of land had been eroded 

 to a depth of several feet by the action of the fierce trade 

 winds which continuously blow through the channel between 

 Maui and Molokai. As a last resort, Bermuda grass was 

 tried as a possible means of preventing further erosion. Sec- 

 tions of the stem of this grass were planted at distances of 

 8 feet apart both ways over the whole area. The rainfall 

 in this region is extremely low and for a period of 2 years it 

 was still doubtful whether the grass would grow. The whole 

 area, however, is now completely covered with a dense mat 

 of Bermuda grass serving as good grazing ground for cattle 

 and sheep. 



A large form of Bermuda grass which has been called giant 

 Bermuda grass was recently found in Mississippi, and has 

 been distributed from there to various tropical and subtropical 

 countries. It is propagated in the same way as the ordinary 



