Il8 FARM GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



hay, which is readily eaten by stock. This weed is 

 evidently worthy of more attention as a fodder-plant 

 than it has heretofore received, particularly for moist 

 soils in regions where timothy does not thrive. It is 

 stridlly an annual, and is therefore not adapted to per- 

 manent meadows. It has been known to yield four tons 

 of very good hay per acre on land where its seed was 

 scattered by floods in the river-bottoms of northern 

 L,ouisiana. A variety of this grass was exploited re- 

 cently under the name " Billion-dollar grass." The 

 sphere of its usefulness seems to be confined to wet 

 meadows in the Far West and in the South. 



During the past few years several varieties of this 

 group have been introduced into this country from 

 Japan, and have been tested by many of the experiment 

 stations, particularly in the West. Some of them pos- 

 sess considerable merit, but none of them are as yet 

 widely cultivated. In Japan and parts of China, espe- 

 cially in sedtions where rice does not thrive, these mil- 

 lets are important crops. They have been called Jap- 

 anese millets in this country because the principal 

 varieties were introduced from Japan. 



Texas Millet (^Panicum texanum). — This grass 

 is a common weed on rich river-bottom lands in central 

 Texas. The name most commonly used for it in that 

 sedlion is Colorado grass, since it occurs abundantly in 

 the vicinity of the Colorado River in Texas. It is also 

 sometimes called Austin grass, having spread down 

 the Colorado River from Austin some years ago. Its 

 habits are exadtly like those of crab-grass. It comes 

 up in corn-fields after the corn is laid by. It seeds 

 abundantly, and the seed falls ofE very easily when 



