CRAB GRASS. 261 



, Distrihudon.—Crah grass is said to be native to the 

 South and also introdiiced from the old world. It cer- 

 tainly finds a very congenial home in the South. It 

 groves in all the states thereof from Virginia to Texas. 

 North of the Ohio river it is but little known. Abovs 

 that line it is not grown to provide hay or grazing. 



Soils. — Crab grass grows most luxuriantly in good 

 soils. The richer the soil the more luxuriantly will it 

 grow, but it will grow reasonably well in any soil that 

 will produce crops of grain, corn, tobacco or cotton. 



Place in the Rotation. — This grass being at the same 

 time a weed is not grown in any regular rotation. 

 When used for hay and pasture, such utilization is sim- 

 ply making the best of an intruder, which grows as it 

 were spontaneously in the cultivated fields. It may 

 also be utilized in putting humus in the soil by plough- 

 ing it under in the autumn. This of course ought to be 

 done before it matures seed. 



Preparing the Soil. — Since the seed of this grass is 

 seldom or never sown, of course no preparation of the 

 soil is necessary. Nevertheless when it is desired to get 

 grazing from it as early as possible, land in which the 

 seeds are present, if ploughed in May, harrowed and 

 rolled, will soon be covered with a luxui-iant growth. 

 Two mowings may be obtained from land treated thus. 



Sowing.- — Since the crop grows spontaneously it is 

 seldom or never sown. In fact it would not seem wise 

 to sow a plant which is troublesome to destroy. The 

 aim should rather be to get rid of it. The seeds will 

 live long in the soil — ^how long is not known. 



Pasturing. — This grass furnishes excellent grazing 



