118 How THE FARM PAYS. 



on rich land, and four bushels on lighter soil if alone, or two bushels 

 if Clover is to be sown with it, will give a sufficiently thick growth to 

 prevent the formation of stools. 



BERMUDA GRASS. 



This grass has long been considered the bane of the agriculturist 

 in the Southern States. The slipshod culture too often in practice 

 there made its presence among other crops the most troublesome of 

 all weeds, but the necessity for fodder set the more advanced farmers 

 to utilize this grass for that purpose. This is now being done in 

 many sections with the most marked success. One difficulty, how- 

 ever, interposes : the seed rarely matures in our Southern States, 

 and even some samples we have tested from Bermuda have failed 

 to germinate. But Nature here compensates, as she always does, for 

 her partial failures. The roots and stems of Bermuda grass root at 

 every eye or joint, and when these are run through a hay or straw 

 cutter, we thus have a ' ' seed " that can be sown. These cuttings 

 are sown on the newly plowed field, harrowed in and rolled, with 

 a reasonable certainty of a good stand of grass. Such " seed " cannot 

 well be made an article of merchandise, but may be transported to 

 moderate distances, and for local use this plan is found to work very 

 well. The Hon. Kobert N. Gourdin, of Charleston, S. C., is experi- 

 menting on a large scale with this grass, and has every reason to be 

 sanguine of great benefits to be derived from its culture in regions 

 hitherto barren of forage for stock. But it is doubtful if it will ever 

 be so satisfactory as the Alfalfa (Lucern), alluded to at length in this 

 work as a forage crop for the Southern States. 



It will no doubt be interesting to insert here some information 

 given at our request by Mr. Gourdin in regard to Bermuda grass : 



" Bermuda grass does not make seed with us. It propagates itself. 

 It runs on the ground as a vine, having numerous joints, from each 

 of which roots strike down and blades shoot up. It is propagated, 

 artificially, by transplanting, and takes root readily. It should be 

 transplanted in the fall and winter after rain, when there is moisture 

 in the land. It matures and gives its first cutting, ordinarily, in 

 June. Persons having most experience with Bermuda grass place the 

 average yield of hay for ten years at four tons per acre per 

 annum. This is a cautious and safe estimate of its productiveness. 

 It grows on every kind of land here wherever corn and cotton 

 grows, and is their great enemy. On poor land Bermuda grass is 

 stumpy and coarse ; on rich land its growth is free, and its blades are 

 long, tender and delicate. Properly cultivated in this latitude, ani- 



