AND OTHER FOR AGUE PLANTS. 113 



mountains. It is now seldom seen and but few protect it. It 

 has been destroyed by cattle. Some forty or more years ago, 

 many people in Mississippi and Louisiana planted patches of it; 

 a few of which remain. All kinds of live stock eat it with a 

 good relish when green and are fond of the sweet, nutritious^ 

 but coarse hay. It may be cut five or six times a year under 

 favorable conditions and yields an immense quantity of good 

 forage. I have measured the broad leaves of this grass seven 

 feet long and culms ten and a half feet. The latter are worth- 

 less and the grass should be cut before the stems run up. The 

 flowers are arranged in from one to three compact spikes at the 

 top of the culm ; sometimes on branches also. At the top of 

 the culm are the male flowers, consisting of the elongated orange 

 or brownish colored anthers each set attached to a joint of the 

 stem, one joint above another ; below these are other joints bear- 

 ing the female flowers or stigmas consisting of long velvety, 

 dark purple threads. The top joints soon drop off ; then as 

 they mature from above downwards the lower joints successive- 

 ly fall. The latter contain each, one seed, many of which seem 

 to be imperfect as they do not germinate readily. Hence it is 

 best propagated by setting out the large rhizomes, which are 

 abundant on the surface of the ground and often piled in large 

 quantities on one another. These rhizomes are half an inch to 

 an inch thick and from the under side send down into the soil 

 many large, strong fibrous roots. Each rhizome has one bud ; 

 but if more it may be divided into as many parts as buds. It 

 may be set from January to last of March. When once well set 

 it requires a team of at least six good oxen and a very large 

 strong plow to tear it up. It turns up in large masses of one to 

 two feet across and these cannot be crushed or broken in pieces; 

 and as ^he rhizomes are not killed by this process, the planter 

 is in worse condition than if he had not plowed it and no nearer 

 rid of it ; unless he piles it with immense labor with fuel inter- 

 mixed or hauls it away. It is however, very easily destroyed 

 by keeping cattle and other stock grazing it during spring and 

 summer. It grows well in marsh, better on hills, best on rich, 

 moist bottoms. 



Analysis of Gama grass by Mr. Peter Collier. 



Oil, 1.72 Amylaceous cellulose, 20.84 



Wax, .68 Alkali extract, 23.09 



Sugars, 8.84 Albuminoids, 8.62 



Gum and dextrin, 3.66 Ash, 5.96 



Cellulose, 26.59 



100.00 



