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the northern states. The value of this grass has rarely been appreciated. 

 Because it is a most troublesome weed in tillage it has been decried as 

 almost worthless by a large class of planters in the south, who want corn 

 and cotton and not grass and stock. Though regarded as a nuisance its 

 merits are disclosed by the fact that when young and tender it is preferred 

 by stock to almost any other grass and it is very nutritious. It is a friend 

 in disguise. It is one of natures allies to conceal and heal the wounds 

 inflicted upon mother earth by bad cultivation. It is the best of all natural 

 agencies for stopping gullies. It will fasten its roots upon the bottom of 

 the gullies and catch the burden of soil as it is carried down by a rain. 



Bermuda Grass Cynodon dactylon. 

 2. Inflorescence. 3. Spikelet. 4. Empty glumes. 



As the bottom of gullies fill up the grass rises with it, building up, little 

 by little, until the general surface is reached. 



Bermuda grass is a perennial and the most valuable for a pasture 

 grass of any grown in the cotton states. It will also grow on rich soils 

 in all parts of Tennessee and especially in West Tennessee. Freezing 

 weather endangers its vitality and therefore it will not do to rely upon in 

 exposed situations, especially upon great elevations. It prefers sandy 

 soils and fluviatile deposits, but it is not so well suited to sandstone soils 

 such as obtain on the Cumberland table-land. It will readily grow upon 

 the moist rich soils of the central basin but winter freezes often leave 

 great vacant places upon such soils. The clayey soils of East Tennessee 

 in proper situations will grow it in vigor. It has the capacity to endure 

 the greatest amount of summer heat, and droughts that will threaten the 

 vitality of all other grasses will not arrest its growth. 



HOW IT IS PROPAGATED Bermuda grass does not mature 

 seed in Tennessee and only to a limited extent in the Southern States. 

 The best and surest means of propagating this grass is to cut pieces of the 

 turf and scatter it along shallow furrows or sow it over the land well pre- 

 pared by plowing and harrowing and cover of compress the roots into 



