34 THE AGRICULTURAL GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



be more valuable than the original croi). It is some times mowed from 

 between the rows, some times cut across the ridges with the corn. 



Any good piece of ground that has had this grass matured on it the preceding 

 year may be plowed and harrowed smoothly and then rolled in May, and it will soon 

 be covered with a rich growth. If the season is favorable two mowings should be 

 made. 



Digitaria villosa is a very similar species of the Southern States, with 

 a perennial, creeping rootstock, the stem decumbent and bent below at 

 the hairy joints. The leaves with their sheaths are very hairy. The 

 external glume of the flower is scarcely one-fourth as large as the up- 

 per ones. It probably is frequently confounded with the preceding^ 

 and has the same qualities. (Plate 4.) 



Panicum. (Panic grass.) 



The botanical character of this genus are as follows : Flowers in 

 spikes, racemes, or panicles. The spikelets consist of one perfect 

 flower (the upper or terminal one in the spikelet), and usually a second 

 male or rudimentary one below it. Outer empty glumes two, one of 

 which is smaller than the other, often very small, rarely absent. The 

 glume of the perfect flower and its palet are usually of a coriaceous or 

 leathery texture, and obtuse or obtusish. The grasses belonging to 

 this genus are extremely numerous, and of widely diflerent general 

 appearance. AYe have about fifty native species, most of which have 

 little i^ractical value except as adding more or less to the wild forage 

 of our woods and fields. But some species, both native and foreign, 

 are of the highest agricultural value. We shall notice a few of those 

 which seem best adapted to cultivation in this country. 



Panicum jumentorum. (Guinea grass.) 



A large, vigorous, perennial grass, attaining in good soil a height of 

 from 6 to 10 feet, the leaves are 1 to !2 feet long, and frequently an inch 

 or more wide, rough on the edges, and with a few scattered hairs on 

 the surface ; the sheath is long and nearly smooth, except near the 

 joints, which are soft-hairy. The panicle is from 1 to IJ feet long and 

 diffusely branched, the upper branches single and 3 to 4 inches long, 

 the lower ones two to five together and 6 to 10 inches long j the flowers 

 are thinly scattered along the rather slender branches nearly the whole 

 length on slender, rather short pedicels. The spikelets aie about 1^ 

 lines long, smooth and rather acutely pointed; the lowest glume is 

 about one-third the length of the spikelet ; the second glume is slightly 

 longer than the perfect flower and five to seven nerves. The lower 

 flower is staminate or male only, the glume and palet thin, the upper 

 flower perfect, much thicker, and finely wrinkled transversely. 



This grass is a native. of Africa, but has been introduced into many 

 troi)ical countries, and in the West Indies is extensively cultivated for 

 pasturage. It has been introduced in Florida, but is yet very little 



