.80 On Guinea Gr^ 



ass* 



result. This season has been very wet, and grasses of 

 all kinds, in this territory, have grown to an unusual 

 length. Planters have found it necessary to make the 

 most vigorous exertions to save their crops of corn 

 and cotton from being choaked with grass and weeds. 

 But admitting that my calculations are extravagant, 

 let us suppose that an acre will produce only one third 

 of what I have stated, still we must consider Guinea 

 grass as the most valuable of all the known grasses. 



I regret very much that Mr. Laurens did not men- 

 tion the grounds upon which he expresses an opinion 

 that this grass is perennial. In Jamaica I have no 

 doubt it is so, but in this climate, I am persuaded, it 

 is annual, and that during the months of September 

 and October, it drops as much seed as is requisite to 

 produce the crop of the ensuing year.* Indeed it is 

 necessary every spring to cut down the superfluous 

 plants in order to leave room for the spreading of those 

 which are suffered to come to m.aturity — I have tried 

 Mr. Laurens's method of dividing the roots and trans- 

 planting them, and find it answers very well for filling 

 up such vacancies as happen from the imperfection of 

 the seed, or from other causes, and ^diich would occa- 

 sion a great waste of labour and of land. The sooner 

 in the season this is done the better, for I did not find 

 that those plants which were thus removed in August, 



* Since wriiing the above, Mr. Munson informed me that Mr. 

 Laurens ".vas correct, and that the roots which he examined in the 

 last spring were perfectly green and putting forth a great niimhcr 

 of shoots. 



