266 HOME LIFE IN FLORIDA. 



to get rid of it, though it is creeping lovingly around the 

 roots of our 23et orange trees. 



And this is what we have seen — we and others who have 

 tried it — that wherever the Bermuda grass is thus allowed 

 to play among the trees, the ground, in a year or two, as- 

 sumes the rich dark tint given it by humus or decayed 

 vegetable matter, and the trees make a correspondingly 

 improved growth. It is as though a rich leaf-mold had 

 been conveyed to such spots. 



So we say, long may the Bermuda flourish among our 

 orange and lemon trees. The more of it, the better. We 

 do not believe in ' ' killing the goose that lays the golden 



prro" " 



There has come (literally) into the field, of late, another 

 grass that promises to win its way into public favor, and 

 to stay there. 



This is the Means or 'Johnson grass, named, like- the cor- 

 rupted Bermuda, from its introducers. In Georgia it is 

 the "Means" grass, because Mr. Means first brought it 

 prominently before the people ; in Alabama it is the "John- 

 son" grass, for a similar reason ; and, after all, it is hardly 

 a grass either, but a species of sorghum. 



Now, when any of this much and justly prized family 

 appear in the world, they have a strong resemblance to 

 their next of kin, corn — so much so that it is difficult to 

 tell the one from the other. 



We heard of a case in point the other day, amusing to 

 an outsider ; but the reverse, we suspect, to the unfortu- 

 nate victim. 



A gentleman, owning a large field of Means or Johnson 

 grass, decided to vary the programme, and had the grass 

 plowed under and corn planted in its place. He raised a 

 good crop, and the repeated plowings nearly destroyed the 

 grass, which was part of his object. He planted corn the 



