20 



appears to be nearly round. The grass is widely distributed at me- 

 dium and high elevations and is of but medium value as a forage 

 crop. It persists long and does not appear to be grazed when the 

 seed is maturing. 



Briza minor, quaking grass, occurs also at upper medium eleva- 

 tions and more thickly in regions of frequent showers and where 

 the rainfall is heavy and continuous. It has some feeding value, 

 but is crowded out on grazing lands by Hilo grass, or maulaiki. 



Cynodon dactylon, Bermuda grass (PL I, 1) is a much-prized 

 as well as a much-abused grass, which occupies large areas of the 

 pasture lands of Hawaii. It was introduced about 1835 and covers 

 a greater area than any other one grass. The native grasses and 

 the majority of the tame grasses spring up with the rains, nourish 

 for a time, and with the coming of the dry season disappear, while 

 the manienie survives the severest drought; although in the most 

 severe ones it may make no active growth for a long period. Many 

 perennials succumb to bad treatment, but this grass, no matter 

 how much abused, or how long the drought may continue, springs 

 up at once when conditions improve. 



Manienie spreads by creeping rootstocks which throw up stems 

 from each joint, and also by running stems above the ground which 

 root at each joint. It also spreads by seed. It is usually propagated 

 by cutting sods into small pieces, which are then set out 2 feet apart 

 each way in the fields where desired. A field planted in this manner 

 will soon be covered. 



It is not a hay grass in Hawaii. Bermuda grass is one of the 

 most valuable of lawn grasses for hot climates. It is of great value 

 as a soil-binding grass and is planted along terraces on hilly land, 

 dikes, or rice fields, and upon the sands of the seashore. On Lanai 

 5,000 acres of wind-eroded soil was saved by planting Bermuda 

 grass. Its composition and digestibility are shown in the following 

 table : 



Composition and digestibility of Bermuda grass. 



Constituents. 



Bermuda 

 grass. 1 



Bermuda hay, first 

 year after planting. 2 



Bermuda hay. 3 



Compo- 

 sition. 



Compo- 

 sition. 



Digesti- 

 bility. 



Compo- 

 sition. 



Digesti- 

 bility. 





Per cent. 

 6.86 

 .58 

 22. 93 

 59.84 

 9.83 



Per cent. 

 18.72 



2. 49 

 21.57 

 40. 71 



9.13 

 .7.38 



Per cent. 

 64.19 

 39.69 

 58.93 

 52. 71 

 41.68 



Per cent. 

 6.43 

 1.60 

 27. 62 

 46.70 

 7.88 

 9.74 



Per cent. 

 48.80 

 46.90 

 50.80 

 50.20 

 28.00 



Fat 





Ash 



Water 











1 Hawaii Sta. Bui. 13. The analysis is given for the water-free material. The fresh material contains 

 about 45 per cent of water. 



3 Oklahoma Sta. Bui. 90. Analyses in the second and third years showed a reduction in the protein 

 content to 11.9 and an increase in the fiber and nitrogen-free extract. 



a Texas Sta. Bui. 147. 



