BERMUDA-GRASS 329 
cleaning of the land is very difficult. Many growers 
now think that, when rotations are desired, it is 
not necessary completely to clean the land of 
Bermuda-grass, since, if a few joints are left, 
these serve to bind the land and to hold moisture; 
then, when the grass crop is wanted again, enough 
joints remain alive quickly to form a complete 
cover. The plant makes a thick, leafy growth 
with branches of five to ten inches in height. It is 
the common lawn grass of the South. 
Bermuda-grass is a hot-weather plant, and- 
thrives only in those regions in which the winters 
are short, and the frost does not penetrate deep or 
persist for a long time. It grows through the 
entire summer. While it will make a much better 
yield on good lands, it is also well adapted for 
pasture on poor lands, and on those liable to wash 
and gulley; and its power of withstanding heat 
and drought, and to revive quickly when moisture 
comes, are among its valuable characteristics. It 
grows best on light soils, river-bottoms and at the 
foot of hills, where the soil has been washed from 
the higher levels. Its habit of throwing out under- 
ground stems, makes it better adapted to sandy 
lands than to stiff heavy clays; nevertheless, when 
once well established on the heavier soils, it is 
serviceable. It has rendered great service in the 
South in preventing the washing of lands, a 
danger that is common in the southern states. 
