164 C. DACTYLON, PERS. BERMUDA GRASS. 



blue grass will only make the liormudji greener and more 

 thrifty." 



Mr. Elliott, quoted by Professor Phares, says: "The cultiva- 

 tion of tliis grass on the poor and cxtensivo .sand hills of our 

 middle country would probably convert them into sheep walks 

 of great value." 



Here, Professor I'hares renuirks^ '"As a permanent pasture 

 grass, I know no other that I consider so valuable as this, after 

 having transplanted it from near the month of lied River to my 

 present residence thirty-flve years ago, and having started it on 

 hundreds of other farms, commons, and levees for a longer pe- 

 riod. As buy this grass has been cured and lield in high esteem 

 by many farmers in Mississippi for more than forty years. 



*' It does not bear dense shade, l)ut grows best where most 

 exposed to the intense heat of the sun. To make good pasture 

 it must be kept Avell trodden and grazed to keep it tender, and 

 to suppress other objectionable grasses and weeds. To make 

 good liay and the largest yield, this grass must be mowed froin 

 three to five times every summer. Thus briars, broom grass, and 

 other weeds are also repressed and prevented from seeding, mul- 

 tiplying, and ruining the meadow. Properly managed this grass 

 grows from ten to fifteen inches higb.'' 



The following is from Howard's Manual. "Upon our ordi- 

 nary upland I have found no difficulty in destroying it^ by close 

 cultivation in cotton for two years. Work the land in the dry, 

 hot months of summer. When not pastured, broom grass or 

 briars soon destroy it„ I think it very doubtful whether there is 

 an acre of land in the South thoroughly set with Bermuda grass, 

 that is not worth more than any other crop that can be grown on 

 it. The Bermuda and crab grass are at home in the South. 

 They not only live, but live in spite of neglect, and when petted 

 and encouraged, they make such grateful returns as astonish the 



