TWO PROMINENT SOUTHERN GRASSES 139 



Johnson grass very wisely refuse to feed the hay, nor 

 will they buy horses or other stock from stables where 

 it is fed. For these reasons there is not an extensive 

 market for the hay. 



As to the feeding value of Johnson grass hay, it 

 may be stated that all kinds of stock eat it greedily. 

 Horses prefer it to timothy, and it is fully as nutritious 

 as the latter. For cattle, idle horses, and horses at 

 ordinary work, the only possible objection to the hay 

 is the danger of spreading the seed of it in the drop- 

 pings. It is not a satisfactory feed for livery-stable 

 horses, being too laxative. It might seem that the 

 danger of spreading Johnson grass could be averted 

 by cutting the hay before the seed is ripe, but such is 

 not the case. In the first place, it is not always pos- 

 sible to cut hay at the right time, because of unfavor- 

 able weather, pressure of other work, etc. Again, the 

 seeds of grasses are so inconspicuous that it is not 

 always easy for the farmer to tell just when the grass 

 must be cut to avoid getting seed in the hay. Another 

 difficulty arises from the fact that the first crop of the 

 season is usually very irregular in coming to maturity, 

 and ripe seed is found on some plants before others 

 head out. Then, on a Johnson grass infested farm, 

 there is always more or less of it scattered along fence- 

 rows, ditches, and other waste ground, and the seed 

 scatters from these stray patches. In the language of 

 an Erath County, Texas, farmer, "Johnson grass 

 would be a good thing on a place if you could keep it 

 where you want it." 



The farmers of the South generally regard Johnson 

 grass as an unmitigated evil, though one finds here 



