The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-04-04
TIE GRASSES OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
An Interesting Article from Learned
Writer.
(From the Monthly Report OF the Department
of Agriculture.)


(From the Monthly Report OF the Department
of agriculture')
In 1885, DR.. Henry ". Ravenel, the
eminent botanist, who was at that time
the Botanist of the State Department Of
Agriculture, prepared an exhaustive ar
icle for the Department on the Agr1cul-
tural. grasses of this State. He divided
them into the Native or Wild Grasses
and the Cultivated Crosses. We begin
in this report the publications Of that
article, taking first the native grasses.
Three of these varieties are described
herewith. The publication of the arti-
Gle Will be continued in future reports,
until the descriptions of all have been
published.
In treating of agricultural grasses,
VIZ, those which are valuable to the
farmer either for pasturage or hay, the
first obvious division is between those
which spring up spontaneously and
those which it is necessary to cultivate.
The former include those which are ma
tive or raturaGzed, and which mature
and SOW their own seeds and take care
of themselves. These are found in all
natural pastures, in open swamp lands,
along roadsides and in the woods, and,
as in the case of crab and crow-foot
graces, those which spring up of their
own accord in cultivated fields. The
latter include all others which require
planting and cultivation, and which may
be either annuals or perennials.
WILD Oh NATIVE GRASSES.
The ordinary pasture grasses-those
which are native, or # introduced, have
become so thoroughly naturahzed as to
be able to take care of themselves, will
be treated of first.
Most of these are ''wild grasses" so
called-grasses which are generally
spread through our State, and help to
make up the ordinary pasture land.
They vary in different localities, accord
ing to the region Of country IN which
they are found, and to the composition
whether dry or damp, clay or sandy.
Generally there is mixture of many
species in every natural pasture, some
preferred by animals for cropping, and
others sesin, when left undisturbed, best
for curing into hay. For many Of these
wild pasture no local or common names
are known, and so only the botanical
names are given.
SMOOTH PAsPALUM.
The genus Paspalum comprises q large
number of species, mostly confined to
the South. They are nearly all peren-
NAL rooted, and are commonly found IN
all natural soil. Prof. Pharse of the
Agricultural and Mechanical College at
Mississippi, who seems to have made a
special study OF our Southern grasses,
says.
tsThey are all succulent, tender, nu-
tritious, hardy, thrifty, and reishsd by
all grass-eating animals. They Ill the
soil with mating of roots, and cover
the surface densely with luxuriant foliage
from early spring till autumnal frosts. %
The Smooth Paspslum is tall grow
ing species from three to four feet high.
It has been found to make very good
hay, as Prof. Pharse says he has neigh
bor who has been feeding this grass for
twenty-five years and fo- many years has
had meadow Of it, from which without
even having seeded he annually mows
about two tons of hay per acre.
SWAMP JOINT GRASS.
This species is very common in the
tide swanps of the low country, great
pest to the rice planters, and is known
as Joint grass. It, however, grows freely
in the upper and middle parts OF the
State, preferring rich, damp soils. It
has very much the habit of Bermuda
grass, with creeping root stocks which
throw out roots below at each joint and
q turf of leaves above. It is rather a
low growing grass, rarely exceeding y
to Is inches high, but the roots are mat
ted over the surface and it furnishes
dense and luxuriant foliage. Good for
pasturage, but scarcely large enough for
hay.
DR.. Massey, of the Department Of Ag-
riculture in Washington, in his "Agri-
cultural Grasses of the United States,
1884," alludes to the perennial-rooted,
evergreen species of paspalum, both OF
creeping and low habits, lately brought
into prominent notice in Texas as giving
great promise of usefulness. One OF
these [Paspalum remotum was sent to
the Department by q. B. Richards, of
LaGrange, Texas, who states that it
roots at every Joint and SENDS up shoots
like layered grapevine, in that it re-
mains green all winter, and it is almost
impossible to destroy it. Another species
[Paspalum plstycaulel, having the same
creeping habit, has been observed IN
several Southwestern States. It is
grass of lower growth and smaller size
than the preceding. Mr.. Benjamin
Brodnax, OF Louisiana, says Of it: ''That
the mode Of growth is fat to the ground,
taking root at every joint, and spreading
in every direction. 1t tfectually kills
out every other grass Or weed, as it forms
a thick sod and is evergreen" I saw
this grass very common in the pastures
around Houston, Texas, in 1879, and
also along the railroad from New Or
leans to Brashear, in Louisiana. Both
these grasses are well worth trial in