The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-08-27
The History of the Introduction of Means
Grass Into This Country.

Below we give an extract from letter
in the Abbeville Press Gnd Banner from
that excellent writer, DR.. Latham, in
(which he recites the history of the intro
iinctSQn Of the famous Means grass into
this col5ntry. If any of our readers have
had any >experience with this persistent
and irrepfassible grass he will regret
that the ship THAT brought it over did not
sink to the bottO4n of the ocean before it
reached this shor6,
While it is true that this grass is great
pest and will practically y ruin garden or
any ground for the cultivation OF any
but hardy plants, yet oh9 OF the most
successful farmers Of Fairfield County
once told us it sometimes seemed almost
q god-send, especially to the negroes on
his place. He said his bottoms were in
tested with the grass and it required ln-
cessant labor to keep it from so confS
pletely oYer-running the bottoms as to
make them unfit for raising corn. He
said that frequently the grass was as
high as the corn at fodder-pulling time,
but still he would make a good yield OF
corn. But neither floods nor drouths
could keep the Means grass from flour
ishing. When, from any cause, the corn
crop was a failure, he could get an
abundance of forage for his stock from
this grass, and could make ton after
ton Of hay from it for winter use.
He said the negroes We're rather pleased
with it., and he was not sure but tnat
they would haYe been glad to give the
bottoms up to it. The only trouble they,
had to keep mule was to cut an arm1ul
of Means grass for it.
We once knew of gentleman who was
SO pleased with the wire grass when he
first saw it that he concluded to secure a
few roots OF it and sot it out in box ID
his garden-thinking it would mako an
ornamental grass. Ever since then ne
las had plenty Of roots to spare to his
neighbors, and realized moro than ever
that by s'the sweat of thy brow" shalt
thou have good garden.
Ry-the-way, noighDor once told us
he knew of ono way, and one way only,
to successfully get rid of nut grass.
When we asked how, he said, "moye
away from it.'
DR.. Latham promises moro informa-
ton on the Means grass. We will try to
reproduce it. The history Of the coming
of this tyrannical foreigner to this "!and
of the brave and homo Of the free," is as
follows:
"This Kings creek region of country is
thickly set with what is known as
MEALS grass. IL oLuo2 soS.aono - 80
South it bears other names. The history
of the introduction Of tho grass into the
South and probably into America is this.
About the year of 1910 one Of the Means
family, living in the western portion OF
Fairfield County, S. c., sent to some re-
gion of country bordering on the Baltic
sea for some barley seed of a peculiar va
riety. When the seed was received it
was discovered that there were in it some
seed of strange appearance. These
seed were planted by Mr.. Means in his
garden. The spot in which they were
planted was carefully prepared and well
manured. The few seed sown germl-
mated and the grass did well, attaining
the enormous height Of seven or eight
feet and producing an abundant crop OF
seed,S MIR. Means thought be had found
q treasure. AL tho seed of the first