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 
asthe 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 
