MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



451 



Gulf coast region. It is grown only as a volunteer 

 crop. Horses relish it green, but cows do not. All 

 kinds of stock, however, eat the hay readily. In 

 some localities it is an important addition to the 

 forage resources. [See Mexican clover, page 309.] 

 All of these crops produce feed that costs nothing 

 but the harvesting, and in most cases the stock 

 may do that. 



Velvet bean (Mucuna utilis). This crop is not 

 much grown outside of Florida, but it is important 

 there. It occupies the whole season, and is a very 

 rank grower, the vines sometimes reaching sixty 

 feet in length. It is difficult to handle as hay, but 

 a good deal of hay is made from it. 



The hay is of good quality and the yield is large. 

 If left in the field, the vines and immature pods 

 after they are frosted are eaten with relish by all 

 kinds of stock. When the ripe pods have softened 

 by contact with the ground, the seeds are readily 

 eaten by cattle and hogs. About a peck of seed is 

 used per acre, and the price of seed is usually about 

 a dollar a bushel. It is doubtful whether this crop 

 would satisfactorily replace cowpeas north of 

 Florida. [See Velvet bean.'] 



Carpet-grass (Paspalum eompresswm) . This grass 

 is found from Florida to central Texas and north 

 to Arkansas. The stems grow very close to the 

 ground, sending up leaves two to six inches high. 

 It is greatly relished by all kinds of stock, and its 

 habit of lying flat and rooting at the joints enables 

 it to bear closer cropping than any other good 

 grass. On light sandy soils, when this grass is 

 closely cropped it will drive out all others. It is 

 not confined to sandy land, however, doing well on 

 good upland loams. It is seldom cut for hay, but is 

 one of the best pasture grasses in the country so 

 far as quality is concerned. Its carrying capacity 

 is hardly known because so little effort has been 

 made to utilize it under farm conditions. Its seed 

 is not on the market. The tall, bare stems are fre- 

 quently cut and scattered where the seed is wanted. 

 The seed could easily be gathered by hand or 

 perhaps with a stripper similar to that used in 

 harvesting blue-grass in the North. 



Paspalum dilatatum. This grass was referred to 

 above (page 449). In one section of southwestern 

 Georgia it has become known under the name 

 Dallis grass, from the name of a progressive farmer 

 who has made considerable use of it for hay and 

 pasture. In eastern Australia it is by far the most 

 important of the grasses. It is known there as pas- 

 palum grass. It grows five or six feet high in 

 Australia and is used mostly for pasture, remain- 

 ing green the year round. It has been little tried 

 in the Gulf coast region, but as it thrives in a cor- 

 responding latitude in Australia, it would appear 

 that it is worthy of trial in northern Florida. It is 

 not well adapted to sandy lands, which may ac- 

 count for its scarcity in the Gulf coast region. 



Japanese cane. A variety of sugar-cane known 

 as Japanese cane is somewhat frequently grown 

 for forage in northern Florida and along the Gulf 

 coast as far west as Louisiana. The stalks are 

 smaller and more numerous than those of ordinary 

 sugar-cane and the plant remains green longer in 



winter. It produces enormous yields of good forage 

 and is much appreciated by dairymen. It lasts sev- 

 eral years longer from one seeding than does the 

 ordinary sugar-cane. 



Cassava (Pigs. 323, 324). An account of the 

 forage crops of the Gulf coast region would not be 

 complete without a mention of cassava. A few 

 years ago this crop was exploited in that region 

 and it became rather popular, although interest in 

 it has waned greatly in recent years. In the Gulf 

 coast region the roots are frequently used as feed 

 for cattle and hogs, taking the place of corn, for 

 which purpose they are valuable. It is difficult to 

 secure a perfect stand of the crop. This may be 

 done, however, by sprouting the stem-cuttings in 

 coldframes before planting. An effort is now being 

 made by the United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture to propagate this crop from seed, with a fair 

 degree of success. [See Cassava.} 



Three recent introductions . 



Guinea-grass {Panicum maximum), Pig. 523, the 

 great forage plant of Cuba, is getting a foothold 

 in Florida and along the Gulf coast to Texas. It 

 does best on lands that are not wet, furnishes five 

 or more cuttings a year and yields an immense 

 quantity of excellent soiling material. It is best 

 cut every four weeks, otherwise it becomes large 

 and woody. It is very sensitive to cold, and if the 

 ground freezes at all the roots are killed. It is used 

 chiefly as a soiling crop. For the best results it 

 must be planted in rows about five feet apart and 

 cultivated. It produces seed at Biloxi, Mississippi, 

 and volunteers freely from this seed. Little is 

 known of its seed habits, as it is usually propa- 

 gated from root-cuttings. It lasts several years 

 from one setting. 



Para-grass {Panicum molle), Pig. 522, is a bad 

 weed in wet lands in tropical countries. It first 

 sends out long runners (twenty or more feet) with 

 internodes two feet long. Prom the joints it takes 

 root and sends up branches three or four feet high. 

 It is decidedly a wet-land grass. Because of its 

 vigorous growth it is difficult to eradicate, but 

 yields remarkable quantities of hay or pasture. It 

 is fairly well relished by stock. It is propagated by 

 cuttings of the creeping stems, which live through 

 the winter. It does not mature seed in this coun- 

 try to any extent. The cuttings are best planted 

 just before the rainy season, about six to twelve 

 feet apart each way. It is not adapted to rigorous 

 climates, and must not be cut too late in the fall. 

 Time should be allowed after the last cutting to 

 produce sufficient growth to protect the roots dur- 

 ing the winter. It is a heavy grower, and may be 

 cut every six weeks during the summer. The first 

 cutting is made about June 1. It is grown in a 

 few localities in Florida and in southern Texas. It 

 has been known to carry three head of cattle 

 per acre all summer and to keep them in good 

 condition. 



Natal grass (Trieholcena rosea) is a third recent 

 introduction. It was introduced into Florida about 

 1890 by S. M. Tracy. It is well established 'there 

 in the wild state in a few localities. If seeds 



