On Gtdnea Grass. 183 



whatever may happen to his other meadows, to lay up 

 a plentiful stock of hay, for the winter. If the hay is 

 cut before the grass has grown too tall, less than two 

 days sunshine will dry it completely. It is uncommon- 

 ly fragrant, and horses prefer it greatly to the best 

 corn blades. This experiment was tried on the 28th of 

 September, when I sent Mr. Winn, of Natchez, a 

 small bundle of hay, which had been exposed to the 

 sun, about a day and a half. Mr. Winn put it into the 

 bottoms of his mangers, and covered it with the best 

 corn blades he could procure. The horses threw aside 

 the fodder, and ate the hay with eagerness. 



An acre of corn will not yield more than from 500 

 to 1000 pounds of dry blades. Considerable labour 

 is necessary in gathering them, they are preserved with 

 ilifficulty, as we cannot choose a favourable season, 

 and with us they are always to be carried to the stack 

 on the backs of labourers. As the Guinea grass, on the 

 contrary, retains its verdure for several months, we 

 can always cut it when the weather is the most pro- 

 mising ; we can cultivate it on most plantations, near 

 the place where we wish to feed it, or it may be cart- 

 ed out of the enclosure where it grows. If subsequent 

 experience should confirm the principal facts which I 

 have stated with regard to this grass, the intelligent 

 farmer will soon perceive the advantage of cultivating 

 it, instead of trusting to the scanty supply of blades, 

 which he obtains from his corn fields, with such a 

 waste of time and human labour. A Pennsylvania 

 farmer, who knows the advantage of a timotl^y or clo- 

 ver meadow, considers it a folly to spend time in col- 

 lecting corn blades. If Guinea grass succeeds as well 



