The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-09-03
but in France and in California and
Mexico is said to be highly priced and
extensively cultivated as forage

CROP -.
Of Bermuda Grass, it may be said
that it has as high, or even higher,
staying powers than 1ucern, and the
farmer who would exterminate it where
it has once obtained a firm hold, must
rise early, go to bed late and be very
.diligent in his waking hours. 1t is said
it can be destroyed by the constant
shading of alternate crops of peavine
and small grain. I have never tried 1t,
but doubt if the shading is sufficiently
continuous-a short interval of sunshine
and rest is to it renewed life. From this
difficulty of getting rid of, it is sometimes
called the farmers pest, and when once
it enters the corn or cotton field, plowing
only seems to spread it, though, strange,
to say, with reasonably fair tillage to
keep it in check, it is less injurious to
these crops than the native crab grass of
the country. Mr. Howard, of Georgia,
I believe, is authority for saying it is
superior as a fertilizer to red clover.
That may be true when the grass is thick
and the roots we'll matted, but I have
not heard his method of utilizing its
fertilizing properties in this condition. A
steam plow might turn up densely
matted Bermuda SOD, but it would be
impossible to any ordinary horse power.
As opposed to this idea of its "pestifer.
onsness," I once heard a gentleman of
very varied information say that in
Southern Asia it is known as "Bar.
!buddha," "Barbuda," !" or some such name,
which means "qod given l never saw
the word written or lin print, and guess
at the orthography, but it has something
Of the same sound of Bermuda, and [
rather like the Specification. It may get
its name from the Bermuda Islands,
though it is said tobea native of Europe,
Asia and Africa It is certainly grass
admirably adapted to the climate of the
Southern States. From its semi.tropical
nature it stands the heat of cur Summers
better than the other grasses we are
familiar with, does not ripen and die out
like eithem, but continues green all l.sum-.
mer until bitten by the frosts of winter.
It is unegnalled for grazing, affording q
tender and nutritious herbage that stock
never.tire of, and when closely cropped
presents beautiful, soft, carpet-like
sward. The constant tramping of cattle
does not seem to .injure it, and there is
no washing of the land where it isthjck-
" set. Z believe that one acre well set
in this grass will furnish ample pasturage
for three or four head of cattle favora-
be year like this. As q hay it is ex-
ceedingly bright and fragrant when
properly ylcured, and lam told that actual
experiment proves that it will yield 30
per cent of hay, while many of the cul.
tivated grasses will yield but Is percent.
or less. It is certainly very nutritious,
and stock of all sorts are very fond it.
These are. some of the recommenda-
tious and objections to Bermuda Grass
suggested by the limited range of my OBJ.
and, from my'personal stand
point, its good qualities outweigh the
bad. ~
Those who wishes to engage in stock
raising in this country, I should think it
would be Invaluable, especially for pas
turage, and / doubt if q better can be |
found for hay. But the cotton planter
had better let it alone, for while small
plat might. be very! desirable for grazing
miIc6 cows, it is too difficult to isolate.
Cattle will carry it in their hoofs, q care
less plowman will transport it on his
plow, an ordinary ditch is no obstruction
10 its spreading, and 7 believe it will
cross any of our ordinary creeks, where
the water is not too swift, or where it can
find pole or raft TO creep across upon.
B, f, w.