JOHNSON GRASS. 259 



maturing in,fields where other crops are grown. 4. Do 

 not allow stock to feed on hay or pasture which contains 

 mature seeds. 



Value of Johnson Grass. — Because of the many con- 

 flicting views that exist in the South with reference to 

 this question, it is not easy to determine as to the place 

 for this grass. That quite a number in several states 

 have found its cultivation largely profitable is certainly 

 true. That it has proven more valuable than the cotton 

 crop in many instances is equally clear. There is also 

 ample evidence to show that under some conditions, 

 when cotton follows this grass, its presence has not very 

 seriously interfered with the cultivation of the cotton. 

 And that it has considerable value as a hay and soiling 

 plant cannot be questioned. Many have grown it for 

 both uses with much profit and for many successive 

 years. Nevertheless the difficulty of removing this grass 

 from the soil is so great that numbers who have sown 

 it are willing to give a handsome reward to have it erad- 

 icated from their farms. Its presence on certain lands 

 has certainly tended to lessen their value. This in 

 itself should furnish a strong argument against extend- 

 ing its growth. There is not the same necessity for 

 growing it now in the South as formerly, since other 

 hay and pasture plants are now better known, which 

 may be grown without experiencing serious difiiculty in 

 removing them from the land. While, in some in- 

 stances, it may be well to make the best of the presence 

 of this plant where it has possessed the land, it should 

 certainly be the aim to prevent its further distribution 



