16 BULLETIN 72, HAWAII EXPERIMENT STATION 
Table 6. — Composition of Napier grass (dry basis) 
Analyses made in — 
Crude 
protein 
Ether 
extract 
Nitrogen- 
free extract 
Crude 
fiber 
Ash 
Florida 
Percent 
14.2 
10.4 
Percent 
2.7 
1.5 
Percent 
45.2 
41.7 
Percent 
29.6 
38.0 
Percent 
8.3 
8.4 
New South Wales . ... 
From the relatively high protein content shown in table 6 it seems 
probable that the samples were taken from the plant crop when the 
forage was leafy and immature. 
Langer states further (6, p. 65) that tests of the digestibility of 
Napier grass have shown its nutritive ratio to be 1:7.7, which com- 
pares very favorably with the better-quality grasses. Further trials 
on the digestibility of this grass are needed, for it must be remembered 
that the nutritive ratio of a grass is much narrower in an immature 
grass than in a mature one. For feeding young growing calves and 
dairy cows in milk, Napier grass should be cut at a rather immature 
stage, with the plants from 3 to 5 feet in height, so as to get the higher 
protein content, while for fattening beef cattle it might be fed at a 
slightly more advanced stage in growth. 
SUMMARY 
Napier, or elephant grass, a tall vigorous perennial, w^as introduced 
into Hawaii in 1915 and has become important as a pasture and green- 
fodder crop. 
Its outstanding features are its aggressiveness, heavy yields, high 
nutritive value, and persistent growth over a period of years. 
Propagation is best accomplished by the use of stalk cuttings or 
root-clump divisions. 
Although drought resistant, Napier grass responds to abundant 
moisture and can be grown very successfully under irrigation. 
Yields of from 50 to 90 tons of green fodder per acre per year are 
readily obtained under favorable growing conditions. 
Napier grass may be successfully pastured if rotational grazing is 
practiced, allowing a period for rest and recovery in the various 
paddocks. 
A carrying capacity of one mature beef animal per acre per year has 
been obtained with Napier-grass pastures under proper management. 
Chemical analyses show that Napier grass has a protein content 
similar to that of Sudan grass w T hen cut at the proper stage for feeding 
as a green fodder. The percentage of crude fiber is also similar, while 
the total ash is considerably higher than that of Sudan grass. 
Merker grass, a strain of Pennisetum purpureum and similar to 
Napier grass, is considered slightly less palatable, particularly at the 
more mature stages of growth. Experiments in Hawaii so far show 
very little difference in yields of dry weight per acre, using these two 
varieties. 
The greater palatability of the Napier variety, due, probably, to its 
more leafy growth and greater succulence, would indicate that it is 
usually a more desirable grass than Merker grass for forage purposes. 
