SECOND OF A SERIES > | 
"Meet the Loysia Family 
By WILLIAM W. NORDAN 
Nordan’s Grass Farm 
Abbeville, Alabama 
By definition, a lawn is an area of 
ground covered with grass which is 
kept closely mowed. However, a de- 
sirable lawn must pass more rigid 
requirements than are expressed in 
this definition. The lawn of our dreams 
would, of course, have to be abso- 
lutely carefree, laborless and beauti- 
ful throughout the seasons of the year. 
As of yet, we have found no such 
exacting grass. Zoysia Japonica has 
gone a long way in this direction. 
Coming down to earth from the afore- 
mentioned dream lawn, we agree that 
a desirable lawn should meet as many 
as possible of the following require- 
ments: 1. Have a suitable surface and 
texture in keeping with the land- 
scape picture. 2. Be of consistent 
growth and good color. 3. Have a 
permanent soil base and ground cover 
which will withstand the abuse of 
yard recreation. 4. Require a mini- 
mum of maintenance. 
As compared with the more com- 
mon lawn grasses, Zoysia Japonica, 
commonly known as Japanese Lawn- 
grass, leads the field in most of the 
above requirements. . This relatively 
newcomer to the American home is 
a native of the Asiatic mainland and 
was introduced into this country by 
means of seed from Korea in 1895. 
In its native homeland, it has sur- 
vived the common low temperatures 
of 30 degrees below zero and on the 
other hand has prospered in the ex- 
treme heat of Southern Korea of 
above 100 degrees. Therefore, one 
can readily understand why this grass 
is one of the most adaptable of the 
turf grasses. The writer having ob- 
served this grass in its native home 
A close-up of St. Augustine grass sod 
of Korea, has marveled at the per- 
sistence of it to survive, much less 
to multiply and crowd out other stub- 
born grasses under some of the most 
adverse conditions. He has seen 
patches of this grass growing along 
the mountain sides in almost solid 
rock. Due to the deep rugged root 
system, which is characteristic of 
this plant, it holds a true green color 
even in this adverse condition of 
little moisture and small quantities, 
if any, of humus and nutrients. Acres 
upon acres of this grass grow wild in 
and around Seoul, Korea, just as the 
common bermudagrass does here. Of 
course, most of it is untended and 
undisturbed except for the seasonal 
gathering of straw and dormant 
grasses for the family fuel supply. 
During this tour of Korea, we failed 
to find signs of insect attack or disease 
damage on Zoysia Japonica, while 
in some cases other plants nearby 
would be completely destroyed by the 
ravages of insects, disease or both. 
These desirable characteristics are for 
your having here in our own country 
when you plant a Japonica lawn. 
Yes, the days of “chinch bug” feasts 
and browning fungus spots are over 
once you establish this outstanding 
grass. 
This grass makes an excellent lawn 
surface and is much more comfortable 
to walk upon than any of the more 
common turf grasses. However, one 
does not feel the sensation of walking 
on an air-foam mattress as is exper- 
ienced with Zoysia Matrella. The 
reason being that japonica leaves are 
much larger in size and are spread 
further apart; in fact, it has the larg- 
ZOYSIA JAPONICA—Note fine-tex- 
tured composition as compared to the 
coarse leaves of St. Augustine. 
est leaf of any of the Zoysia family. 
Some of the earlier strains of this grass 
have leaves even larger than the 
leaves of St. Augustine and longer 
than the leaves of common bermuda. 
Comparatively speaking, this member 
of the family would not win in a 
texture beauty contest. Because of 
the loose knit sod in its early stages, 
it blends well and lives in harmony 
with other grasses, especially winter 
grasses such as Merion, Kentucky 
bluegrass and Ryegrass. 
Japanese Lawngrass is of fairly 
consistent growth and, if unmowed, 
will seldom exceed eight inches in 
height. Because of its slow growth 
characteristic, it requires much less 
mowing than is experienced with 
many lawn grasses. The dark green 
color of a well kept japonica turf is a 
sight to be appreciated by the most 
critical lawn observer. 
One of the more _ outstanding 
features of this lawn grass is the 
degree of traffic and abuse it can 
withstand, yet remain | presentable 
and seemingly unharmed. The extra- 
ordinary healing qualities must be 
observed to really believe and fully 
appreciate. The United States De- 
partment of Agriculture has been 
testing this grass at the Beltsville, 
Maryland, trial grounds for a number 
of years and because of its outstand- 
ing qualities, it is being recommended 
not only fo: better lawns but. espe- 
cially for playgrounds, athletic fields, 
airports, cemeteries, golf courses and 
wherever a smooth turf is needed to 
withstand wear and tear of traffic. 
Zoysia Japonica is one of the most 
drought resistant grasses yet found. 
Last year during the severe drought 
here in Alabama, our Zoysia Japonica 
was the only grass that did not re- 
quire frequent irrigation throughout 
the dry spell. One plot of matrella 
nearby the japonica area was un- 
watered for comparison purposes and 
only 20 per cent of the plants sur- 
vived. While our areas of St. Augus- 
tine, Centipede and even the improved 
bermudagrasses were browning over, 
the japonica plants merely closed their 
leaves together and did not wilt or 
discolor to a noticeable degree. 
A distinct advantage to those that 
desire a Zoysia lawn with not much 
work attached to it, is the fact that 
