4 FARM GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 
group consists of the cotton-producing States, in which 
the area of grass lands is less than 5 per cent. of the 
whole. ‘This group of States was so unfortunate in 
their early history as to find their lands and climate 
adapted to a crop that was highly profitable, but which 
returned nothing to the soil. Livestock farming and 
grass culture were almost wholly neglected. As the 
lands wore out, resort was had to commercial fertil- 
izers; but these did not add humus to the soil, and the 
mechanical condition of the soil has reached that stage 
where rain washes it so badly that it is necessary to 
terrace in order to keep the soil from washing away. 
The results achieved by many progressive farmers in 
the South show conclusively that a proper use of 
grasses and stable manure render terracing unneces- 
sary except on decidedly rolling lands, and make the 
soil highly productive. Diversified farming is rapidly 
coming into favor in the South, and the area devoted 
to hay and pasture crops isincreasing. This undoubt- 
edly means a return to permanent prosperity. 
Hay production, generally speaking, is not an im- 
portant industry in the South. It has become impor- 
tant in a few localities. In the Red River Valley in 
Louisiana and Arkansas a considerable area of alfalfa 
is grown, and the area devoted to this valuable crop 
is rapidly extending. On a narrow strip of prairie 
soil extending from northeastern Mississippi through 
central Alabama and terminating near Macon, Georgia, 
Johnson grass has long been grown in considerable 
areas. ‘The same grass is grown more or less exten- 
sively on similar soil over much of central Texas. 
Alfalfa thrives abundantly on these black soils, and is 
