120 FARMER'S BOOK OF GRASSES 



ftable soiling plant yet introduced, and also promises to be the 

 plant for our southern hay stacks, provided it can be cut every 

 three or four ^ r eeks." 



In the Rural Carolinian for 1874, Mr. John J. Delchampes 

 furnishes the following facts and figures : 



"I herewith make out a resume of the several cuttings of 

 Guinea grass made by me last year. . . . The cuttings were made 

 from one square yard of land accurately measured, and it was a 

 fair average of the entire plot in grass. 



1st cutting May 16th, weight of dry hay 19th., 2 Ibs. 8 oz. 



2nd cutting June 16th, weight of dry hay 23rd., 1 1J 



3rd cutting July 17th, weight of dry hay 20th., 1 7} 



4th cutting August 18th, weight of dry hay 30th, 



(ruined by rain), 8 



1st September, cut by a friend through mistake without 

 weighing. 



5th cutting October 1st, weight of dry hay 8th., 10 



Total , 6 3 J 



"Reckoning the acre at 4,840 square yards, for convenience, 

 the result is over fifteen tons of dry hay per acre, twelve days' 

 growth being lost by an accident, and the season not a favora- 

 ble one. 



"I dug the roots from the same square yard of ground in Jan- 

 uary and the weight was 2 Ibs., 10 oz., equal to 6.45 tons per 

 acre. Hogs devour these roots as eagerly as they do sweet po- 

 tatoes. Six and a half tons of hog feed and fifteen tons of 

 good hay I should regard as a very good result from one acre 

 of land. It may be well to add that on the square yard of 

 ground from which I dug the roots, the grass is as thick now 

 as on any other part of the plot." 



Two pounds aad a half of dry hay per square yard shows Mr. 

 Delchampes 7 first cutting to have given him 12,000 pounds. 

 Well may another writer exclaim : "If you want grass -a grass 

 the grass and have rich land this is just the thing to fill 

 the bill." 



If a farmer want his land for other crops, he should not plant 

 this grass. But if he want a grass field to continue, indefinitely 

 and to yield heavy crops year after year without resetting this 

 is the best thing he can plant. 



With the ground rich and in good condition and warm, a 

 bushel of good seed broadcast in April will take possession and 

 keep down other plants. Without these conditions, the seed 

 should be sown in drills sufficiently far apart to admit of culti- 

 vation once or twice. Or if roots be used, the pieces should be 

 placed one or two feet apart in the rows, and the latter two feet 

 apart, so as to allow cultivation. In either case the plants will 

 soon have and hold possession. The seed may be sown also in 

 August r September, 



