176 -- On Guinea Grass, 



*' In the last spring I procured from Jamaica three 

 " half pints of Guinea grass seed, which I planted in 

 *' drills of one fourth of an acre of very indifferent land. 

 ** The seed sprung, and soon covered the ground with 

 " grass, four feet high and upwards. Being desirous 

 *' of saving as much seed as possible, I cut one bun- 

 " die of grass for horses : they ate it all with great avi- 

 " dity.* In August I took one of the grass roots and 

 ** divided it into 28 parts, which were immediately re- 

 *' planted ; every part took root, and the whole are 

 " now growing very finely, and seeding. I am of opi- 

 " nion this grass will make the best pasture we can 

 *' wish for. — From former experience I have reason 

 " to believe the Guinea grass is perennial. It is easi- 

 ** ly managed, requires but one good hoeing, after 

 *' which it will take care of itself. Domestic Encyclo- 

 " pedia, article Guinea grass." 



With this little stock of information I commenced 

 my experiments. In the month of April, I prepared 

 a piece of ground in the city of Natchez, and planted 

 the seed I had reserved for my own use, in holes two 

 feet distant from each other. The season proving un- 

 usually cold,! and torrents of rain falling almost eve- 



* It is curious to calculate the quantity "which an industrious, 

 planter can obtain from one seed. — Suppose that each of the 28 di- 

 visions of the root produced less than one half of the number of 

 stalks I obtained from one seed, for instance 50 stalks, this will give 

 1400 stalks in one season, from a single seed. On good soil, in a 

 favouruble year, these will all attain the height of at least seven 

 feet. 



t Persons who have resided in the vicinity of Natchez for 37 

 years, do not recollect to have seen frost in May before this year, 



