The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-06-10
BERMUDA THE BEST
SOUTHERN GRASS.
By ]. N. Harper, Director S. c. Exper-
iment Station, Clemson College.

By ]. N. Harper, Director S. C. Exper-
iment Station, Clemson College.
Bermuda grass is the most valua-
BILE grass the South possesses and is
the best for %pasturage and lawn pur-
poses. Its true value is not yet ap-
preciated by it's most ardent advo-
Gates. There are several varieties or
types Of this grass grown in the South
differing from each other mainly in
the size of stems and s%piculets and in
hardness. Some of the smaller,
hardy types are from two to three
weeks earlier in making their growth
in the early spring than are the
coarser varieties. There are other
species of grasses, such as wire grass
n Egyptian grass, often mistaken
by farmers for Bermuda, and for this
reason Bermuda grass is sometimes
denounced as being worthless by
farmers who have growing on their
farms the other species which are Of
little value.
Bermuda grass, when grown on
we'll improved land and properly
treated. will afford during six months
of the year as much grass as the aver
age blue grass pasture Of Kentucky.
l have known n acre to furnish all
the food during the summer months
for six calves. Three acres of this
grass on improved land will pasture
fifteen brood sows with their filters,
they requiring no other food than
that afforded by five acres Of forage
crops. When grown on rich bottom
lands and kept free from weeds and
properly fortified, Bermuda grass af-
fords a splendid meadow, as it can be
cut twice during the season, yielding
from three to four tons Of excellent
hay. Bermuda hay Is rich in carbo-
hydrateS and makes as good hay as
timothy. It is well suited for work
stock, but Is not so good for dairy
cattle.
Fortunately, we have discovered
that Bermuda grass is not a serious
weed enemy, for as it uoes not mature
seed to any extent in this country and
spreads only by underground and
o~verground stems it can be easily kept
IN check. AS it is a tropical plant and
requires plenty of sunlight it al be
easily eradicated in two or three years
by shading it out by growing winter
legumes, such as vetch, planted with
oats, followed by a summer legume,
! such as coWpeaS or velvet beans. Ber-
muda does not damage cotton any,
thing like as much a. does crab grass,
and a good crop of corn can be made
in the field badly infested with Ber-
muda if properly cultivated. Bermuda
grass Is of great benefit to the soil in
that it prevents it from washing, adds
humus to the soil and fills the soil
with innumerable ibrous roots which
produce the best form of humus. 1t
is an annual with perennial, under
ground stems. If Bermuda is planted
in the fall it can be grown with oats
and vetch, or with bur clover. It is
a splendid plant for terrace banks and
is also valuable to grow on railroad
II pond banks to prevent them from
| caving in and washing away
AS it requires plenty of sunlight, it
will not grow we'll in shaded places.
1t can be propagated by sowing the
seed at the rate of two pounds to the
acre or by planting pieces Of sod. A
good way to obtain a Bermuda sod is
TO break the lane with a turning plow
or disk plow and in every furrow drop
a small piece of sod every twelve
inches, the next furrow covering it
from two to three inches deep. 1t
can be sodded almost any time dur
ing the year, but the best time is in
the early spring. 1t should be planted
dllSl SOIllC "lllICl lCS ulllO, ooSl 90
our clover, crimson clover, or vetch,
if planted in the spring; and If
planted in the fall, should follow cow
peas, s%oybeans, velvet beans or beg
garweed. After the land has been
plowed and the plants dropped, the
land should be thoroughly narrowed
to make the pasture smooth and even.
Cattle should be turned into the
pasture as 500 as possible. The best
Bermuda pasture can be ruined by
allowing weeds and other grasses to
grow. Bur clover can be Sown in the
fall in a Bermuda pasture. Bermuda
grass is usually ready for good pas
ture by June 1St. After the pasture
has remained in Bermuda grass -four
or five years, it should be plowed up
in the early spring and planted in
cowpeas. The coWpeas will improve
the physical condition Of the soil and
will add nitrogen, which is most bene-
fetal to the Bermuda. If a Bermuda
pasture is allowed to run too long 1t
becomes sod-bound and a poor quality
of grass is produced. 1t is a heavy
feeder on nitrogen and should be fer
tilted with an application of nitrate
Of soda about the middle of every
April, using from so to 100 pounds
per acre. Acid phosphate should be
, applied every foul years at the rate OF
|. 800 or 400 pounds per acre. A good
time to apply this is at the time the
land is broken in the spring prepara-
tory for a crop of peas. One thousand
pounds of lime Is also very beneficial.
This can be applied once every five or
six years. If Bermuda is planted with
Texas blue grass, white clover and
! common vetch a pasture a be OBJ
i tanned that will afford good grazing
nine or ten months in the year.