BERMUDA GRASS. 5 



There is a grass which is often called " water Bermuda" or "ditch 

 Bermuda." 1 It is better known as knot-grass, or ditch-grass, as it 

 commonly grows on the sides and bottoms of ditches and on other 

 damp soils, where it gives a considerable amount of grazing but is of 

 no value for hay. It is easily distinguished from true Bermuda grass, 

 which has three to six seed spikes, while this has but two. 



CLIMATIC ADAPTATIONS. 



Bermuda grass requires warm weather during its growing season. 

 It bears intense summer heat without injury, but is seriously injured 

 by a moderate degree of cold and is seldom persistent where the tem- 

 perature often falls much below zero F., though the rootstocks may 

 withstand a somewhat lower temperature. It often winterkills hi 

 western Kentucky and Tennessee. It usually does not bear heavy 

 freezing, though it has lived through a temperature of 10 F. in 

 Kentucky and in Washington, D. C., and - 18 F. in Oklahoma. On 

 the Atlantic coast, southeastern Virginia is about the northern limit 

 of its profitable growth, and there it is not sufficiently aggressive to 

 interfere with the growth of alfalfa. On the Pacific coast it makes 

 little growth north of California. 



Bermuda grass does best with abundant moisture, but will not 

 grow well where the ground is not thoroughly drained. In the arid 

 region of the Southwest it is of little value if not irrigated, not making 

 as vigorous a growth as curly mesquite, buffalo grass, and some other 

 native species. It bears a long and hot summer with little injury, 

 though it makes little growth when the weather is very dry and it is 

 not irrigated. It will bear flooding for some weeks, but will not grow 

 weh 1 where the soil is constantly saturated with stagnant water. 



It does not bear shading well, even when all other conditions are 

 favorable, and planters often take advantage of this fact to secure its 

 eradication by growing smother crops. 



ADAPTATIONS TO SOIL. 



Bermuda grass will grow well on almost any soil which is fertile and 

 not too wet, but better on soils that are heavy than on those which 

 are light and sandy. On the latter it is likely to be crowded out by 

 carpet grass or other native species. It will grow satisfactorily on 

 light and sandy soils when they are well fertilized with cottonseed 

 meal, dried blood, or some other nitrogenous fertilizer, but it does not 

 do well on soils containing little humus or nitrogen. It will grow well 

 on soils so alkaline that most other field crops, as well as fruits, will 

 fail, as has been shown in California and other Southwestern States. 

 The presence or absence of lime seems to have little effect on the 

 amount of its growth. Careful trials at the Mississippi and Georgia 

 agricultural experiment stations have shown no beneficial effects 



1 Paspalum distichum. 



