856 



O 



for lawns (Fyffe, Ann, Rej). Bot. & Foresty Dept. Uganda, 

 1915, p. 4). Many more instances of its use for both forage 

 and lawns might be enumerated ; but the value of the grass Avill 

 be sufficiently evident without. 



The rhizomes of this grass are used in medicine as a substitute 

 for those of '' Couch " {Agropyron repens) the plant officially 

 recognised in the British Pharmacopoeia, and there are specimens 

 in the Kew Museum of a consignruent to the London Drug 

 Market from Spain, valued (June, 1916) at 50.9. ]}eT cwt. 



The plant is a perennial from a few inches to 2 ft. or more 

 high ; a height of 3 ft. in Somaliland is recorded on a specimen 

 (Appleton, 1903) in the Kew Herbarium and the stolons reach 

 10-12 ft. Angola (Hiern, Cat. Welw. Afr, PI. ii. p. 220). Tracy 

 (U.S. Dept. Agric. Farmer's Bull. No, 814, 1917, p. 7) recom- 

 mends for fodder, " Giant Bermuda '' — " often makes runners 

 20 ft, or more in length, with an abundance of erect stems 2 ft. 



or more in height, affording 2-3 annual cuttings and yielding 

 more than any other variety, yet tested " — and a§ the best for 

 lawns the variety '' St. Lucie " — '' seldom more than 6 in. in 

 height, with slender stems and small leaves.'' 



It is readily propagated either by seeds or by division of the 



rhizomes ; seed may be sown broadcast, 5 lb. per acre (Trac3% 

 I.e. p. 9) ; 50 or 60 lb. (for lawns) per acre (Davies, Dept. Agric. 

 Agra & Oudh Bull. No. 39, 1916, p. 5) and pieces of the rooting 

 stems may be planted about 8 in. apart, this covering tlie ground 

 in about 6 weeks if done at the beginning of the rainy season 

 Kew Bull. 1894, p. 377). A common practice in the United 

 States is to plant fresh pieces of sod, about an inch in thickness, 

 2-3 ft. apart in furrows 4-6 ft. apart or on ploughed fields, the 

 pieces may be dropped 2-3 ft. apart and pushed into the soil 

 with a forked stick such as is used in planting sweet potatoes, 

 then trod in firmly (Tracy, I.e.). Soil appears to be of secondary 

 consideration, provided it is open and moderately rich ; a good 

 rainfall encourages free growth, but the plant stands drought 

 well. The yield may vary according to conditions, but from 

 2-5 tons of hay would be considered good, and when pastured 

 one cow per acre may be supported. The feeding value is 

 regarded as equal to that of '' Timothy '' {Pheleum praUnse) 

 for work mules and dairy cows (Piper, Forage PL p. 243). In 

 spite, however, of the strong recommendation for good, it is 

 also a power for evil (hence the name '' Devil's Grass ") and is 

 often condemned as a noxious weed on arable land. It is 

 recorded as '' a terrible pest in plantations of cotton etc." and 

 too plentiful among crops of mandioca and maize in Angola 

 (Hiern, Cat. Welw. Afr. PL ii. p. 221). 



Ref. — Cynodon Dactylon : '' Creeping Panic Grass or Doorwa," 



in Diet. Econ. Prod, India, Watt, ii. 1889, pp. 678-681. 



''Cijnodon Dactylon^' in Kew Bull. 1894, pp. 377-378.-— The 

 Making and Care of Lawns in India, Howard, Agric. Research 

 Institute, Pusa, Bull. No. 12, 1908, i3p. L*3. '' Cynodon 



