190 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
the day previous to the washing is an advantage, as 
it softens and loosens the dirt and renders the 
washing easier and more thorough. As the sheep 
are washed they should pass out upon a clean, 
grassy slope that rises gradually from the stream, 
otherwise the water-laden animals may fall and 
soil their fleeces. After washing, if the weather 
should suddenly turn cooler, the flock should be 
provided with shelter, to prevent their taking cold, 
as they would be very likely to do. From the time 
of washing to that of shearing, two weeks or so, 
the sheep should be kept in a pasture that is free 
from any bare ground, overhanging banks, or steep 
side-hills, so that the wool may be kept clean. 
A second method of washing, which is employed 
when the stream is small but somewhat rapid, is to 
arrange a spout for the passage of the water, and 
hold the sheep under the end—the water flowing 
upon the animal. In this way the washer does not 
go into the stream, and if provided with rubber 
boots and apron, may keep himself comparatively 
dry. The washing by this method is very thorough 
as there is a stream of clean water constantly flow¬ 
ing into and through the wool, and carrying off 
the impurities as they are removed from the sheep. 
Bogus Bermuda Grass. 
Serious “ Official ” Blundering 1 . 
A friend in Marshall, Texas, wrote a while ago, 
that the same mail which brought him the February 
Amei-ican Agriculturist, containing an article which 
stated that Bermuda Grass was not known to pro¬ 
duce seed in this country, also brought him a pack¬ 
age of “ Bermuda Grass Seed ,” from the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture at Washington ! Naturally he 
was in a quandary, and inclosing a sample, said ; 
“ Please tell me if this is the seed, if so, is it prob¬ 
ably brought from some other country?” We 
opened the parcel;—with all our faith in the ca¬ 
pacity of that Department for blundering, we could 
hardly believe it. It did not seem possible that 
any one not entirely daft, could have sent this for 
Bermuda Grass. We wrote to our Texan friend for 
the label sent with the seed, and in response to this 
request he sent not only the label, but the parcel as 
it was received. There could be no mistake about 
it—at least not on his part. The label reads thus : 
“Department of Agriculture. 
BERMUDA CRASS. 
igpNote and report, soil, culture, time of ripening, 
quality, and quantity of crop. This is required 
of all persons receiving seeds, as a condition of the 
distribution.” 
The bag contained about a quart of broken 
spikelets, a whole one of which, of the natural 
size, is shown in figure 1. This grass, though well 
known to botanists, is so little known to people in 
general, as to have reeieved no common name—at 
least, none is given in the works on southern bot¬ 
any, nor have the southern friends of whom we 
have inquired, been able to learn of one. We are 
therefore confined to its botanical name, which may 
be called an wwcommon one, so far as length is con¬ 
sidered — Stenotaphrum Americanum. Generally 
when we know the derivation of such a name, its 
meaning helps us to remember it, but in this case 
it does little good to know that Stenos means “ nar¬ 
row,” and Taphros means a “groove,” when the 
“ narrow groove ” is upon a part of the flower quite 
hidden from sight, and so small that only a glass 
will show it. As to the specific name, America¬ 
num, that can hardly be regarded as descriptive, 
We do not take sufficient space to figure 
the whole plant, as the flowering portion is the 
characteristic part of it. It has extensively creep¬ 
ing stems, from which arise flowering stems about 
a foot high, bearing one to four such spikes as 
that in figure 1. The structure of the spike is 
quite unlike what we are accustomed to see in 
grasses ; that portion which holds the flowers (and 
seeds), is thick and flattened, and the flowers are 
hidden in little depressions, or excavations in its 
substance—a structure so unusual, that it would ar¬ 
rest the attention of any observing person. Com¬ 
pare this figure with that of the spikes of Bermuda 
Grass in figure 2, both being of real size. Can any 
two grasses be more unlike ? Yet the Department 
of Agriculture of the United States, sends this over 
the country as Bermuda Grass ! When Newton 
was at the head'of the Department, a friend of ours 
was in the office on some business, and saw a box, 
labeled “ Echium vulgare , ” and on asking what that 
meant, he was informed that it was “ the seeds of a 
new honey plant just imported from Europe,” which 
was about to be distributed for trial as bee pastur¬ 
age. Our friend, thinking that there was already 
quite too much “Viper’s Bugloss,” or “Blue Devils” 
in the country, made such a vigorous protest, and 
brought such strong evidence upon the point, that 
the country was saved this scattering broadcast 
one of the worst weeds known to our agriculture. 
It appears that the Government Seed Shop has 
not improved in all these years. Let us say here, 
that the sending out of this stuff for “ Bermuda 
Grass,” could not have happened had the Botanist 
of the Department been consulted—and the very 
fact that it is done, shows that he was not consulted 
—for he, being a man of science, would have protest¬ 
ed against it. But what is the Stenotaphrum really ? 
Not being Bermuda Grass, what is it good for ? will 
be asked. This is a point upon which we have not 
been able to get any direct information. Doct. 
Porcher, in his excellent work on “ The Resources 
of Southern Fields and Forests,” does not men¬ 
tion this species of grass, 
which is in itself strong neg¬ 
ative evidence, for scarcely 
any vegetable product of 
even doubtful utility, has 
escaped this industrious au¬ 
thor. Chapman says nothing 
as to its uses, and Elliott, 
(1821), whose* descriptions 
are much more in detail, 
and who rarely fails to notice 
the popular reputation a 
plant may have, if useful or 
otherwise, says nothing of 
this, nor do recent inquiries 
add to our knowledge. The 
plant is described as grow¬ 
ing near salt water, from 
South Carolina to Florida. If 
a grass found within the in¬ 
fluence of salt water, should 
be found of any value in 
cultivation, it would be 
something remarkable. But 
that is not the question, and 
does not affect the fact that 
the Government Seed Shop 
is conducted with a lack of 
accuracy, a wicked, blunder¬ 
ing stupidity, that would 
ruin any one legitimately en¬ 
gaged in the seed business. 
A salt-water grass, not its 
seeds proper, .but its seed 
clusters, of no known utility, 
is sent over the country at 
public expense by the Gov¬ 
ernment mails, with the 
Government label, under a 
false name, pretending to be 
the seeds of a grass, which, 
under certain conditions, 
and with proper manage¬ 
ment, has real value, but 
which has never yet, so far 
as our most experienced 
botanists have learned, pro¬ 
duced seeds at all in this 
country. This Government 
distribution of seeds is a 
sham and a farce. Sustain¬ 
ed under the plea that it in¬ 
troduces new and rare va¬ 
rieties, it really supplies 
squash, tomato, and other 
common garden seeds, that 
the many have to buy, to the friends of a few 
Congressmen. When it undertakes to give out a 
novelty, it is quite apt to send seed of a tropical 
plant, with no explanation, to Northern Minnesota, 
Fig. 1. — “BERMUDA 
GRASS ” (Stenotaphrum 
Americanum) of the 
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF 
AGRICULTURE. 
or make some other blunder. But this Bogus Ben 
muda Grass Seed, is the most glaring example of the 
utter ignorance, of the entire lack of appreciation 
of the importance of accuracy, that has come to 
our knowledge. It is time, if this seed business is 
to be continued, that it cease to be carried on to 
Fig. 2.— THE BERMUDA grass {Oynodon Dactyton )_ 
the detriment of the farmers of the country. How 
many, who having read of the value in some locali¬ 
ties of Bermuda Grass, will plow, harrow, sow, and 
watch and wait, and if they get any return, wilt 
have only what is likely to be a useless salt-marsh 
grass—at any rate not Bermuda Grass. Thus an 
error goes out with Government sanctiop, which 
will not be rectified in years. Instead of striving 
for a seat in the Cabinet, or giving banquets marked 
by the conspicuous absence of nearly all of the 
bidden guests, the head seedsman had better get 
some one in his shop who knows Bermuda Grass,that 
its botanical name is not Stenotaphrum Americanum . 
Some of the Newer Grapes. 
It. is interesting to look back 12 or 15 years in our 
volumes, and see how largely they were occupied 
by articles on grapes and grape-culture. There 
seemed at one time danger of a second “ multicau- 
lis mania,” so generally did grape-culture occupy 
public attention. The sudden cessation of this in¬ 
terest is one of the most curious incidents in the 
history of our fruit culture. The inroads of the 
Phylloxera, though unrecognized, had much to do 
with the collapse, but not all. Our people in this, 
as in many other things, had a “ zeal beyond knowl¬ 
edge,” and that cooling off, which in such cases is 
sure to come, took place in this instance with a 
most surprising suddenness. Though grape-cul¬ 
ture has, since that time, been remarkably quiet, it 
must not, on that account, be inferred that nothing 
has been done. In fact,there has probably been more 
real progress in these last 12 years than in all pre¬ 
vious time. Formerly it was thought that progress 
consisted in producing new varieties of grapes, and 
the great point was to get the grape. We already 
had the “grape for the million,” but our leading 
grape-men strove to find one grape for “ all the mill, 
ions.” As we look back upon it how droll it all 
seems. There were several who claimed to have 
the grape, and how perfect (in its producers eyes at 
least), that grape was ! To ask a question implying 
that the grape had a fault, was as great an offence 
as to speak disparagingly of the owner’s wife. The 
grape-safety of the nation was to hang upon the 
grape, and it is astonishing how many of them there 
were. Where are they all now ? We have learned 
much since those exciting times. When we learned 
that there was not, and in the nature of things 
could not be, one grape for the whole nation, a long 
step was made forward. When that point was ad¬ 
mitted, the occupation of those who had the grape 
was gone. The Phylloxera was a dreadful scourge, 
but it taught a most important lesson, th -t there 
were grapes—and grapes. Grape-growers < uf not 
