114 THE 0&&SSES OP TENNESSEE. 



Many persons object to it on account of its great tenacity 

 of life, matting the soil in every direction with its cane- 

 like roots, and the rapidity with which it will spread over 

 a field, and the difficulty of eradicating it. But these very 

 objections should be its recommendation to owners of worn- 

 out fields ; and if it is desired to destroy it, it is only neces- 

 sary to pasture it closely one year, and then in _ the fall 

 turn the roots up with a big plow to the freezes of a winter, 

 renewing the breaking up once or twice during the winter, 

 and then cultivating the next spring. The seeds are quite 

 heavy, and weigh 35 pounds to the bushel. Every one who has 

 tried it recommends it to the public. But some allowance 

 must be made for the partiality of friends, and it would be 

 well to give it a trial before engaging in its culture to any 

 large extent. There would, however, certainly be no risk 

 in sowing it upon those worn-out hill sides, so many of which 

 form an unsightly scar upon the face of nature in Tennessee 

 —the tokens of the past. 



