The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-01

Everyone who knows anything apout American grasses knows the value of blue grass. The 'blue-grass country is fa- nous for it's pastures and for the su- perior qualities of the animals which graze them. The farmfamed blue grass has A counterpart in southern pastures, a plant known as carpet grass. Experts who know both grasses say that the two are about equal in grazing value. In ad- dition to it's wholesome quarity, carpet
 grass will grow well even upon poor sandy soils, if they are not too dry rms latter attribute makes it particularly lm- portant for use in the coastal plain re- zion where the pine timber has been cut off. and where annual fires nave ue- stroyed the humus throughout vast re- gicns. It is believed carpet grass VIII nlav a very important part in the devei- orment of this 100000, 900 acres Of waste land by the introduction of beef cattle Pulletin 1130, from the bureau or plant industry is devoted to the culture ana utilization of carpet grass
 Garnet grass has several names' q ouitsiana grass" and petit gazon' are among others. Unfortunately, many less valuable grasses are also called calpe.
  native growth, and seems to have peen introduced from the West Indies. It is a perennial, pale green grass ana spreaus ra pidlv by sending out creeping s.ehs' which take root at every Jolht anu Aoi -, a close compact turf. The stems ana sheaths of the grass are compressed anu two-edged and this pecullarity, cohsiu cred with the blunt leaf ups VII ,.o the true species. The seed stems @ are slender two. or three jointed, ana are from 12 to 2i inches high. Slender spikes of flowers appears on these stems. Ais reader who may be doubtful or ms carpet prass can identify it absolutely py con paring the specimen with the tion produced in Bulletin li,9.
 ,,oaa and no one need not have the rear tha+ he is introducing posslpie piane pest. suo rarv well go .ast,,ras sown to carpet grass snouid oe rrotected from the annual firing so oite,, practiced It does not seem 10 pc al a,, sensitive to soil acidity, and iiourishes es, upon soil that is poor m nine co",e ,s, thts if does upon that which IS rich III '''is substance
 Garnet grass grows better upon com nac ct coil and for this reason thriveS uh- der grazing and trampling. co,ipa., soil howeye CT. is not necessary, anu !. VII prow ,lpon loose earth. 1T the aFoie" ' ditions are lacking. In fact, carpet srass impresses one as having persohaiity SD friendly to man that it wiH opiiee nm bv meeting his needs more than hait way If seems willing to putu p with aihos' any condition if by so doing It can ee 1 of use. a Ger Naturally. there is great demand TOT TOT carnet grass seed. and apparently mere is no good reason why the demarI. can not he satosfed. excepting that the farm- ers who have large tracts of carpet grass l dol not know of it's popularity and make no attempt to harvest the seed crop Here. again. the carpet grass shows 2 w;llingness to oblige. Grazing does no' greatly injuse the seed production; tne cattle crop the leaves but leave the seed stems untouched and ready for moving i and thrashing.
 | Seeding of carpet grass can De accom- plished by cutting the grass when the seed stems are fully developed and scat 1 tering this hay upon the area to be seea- ed. If the seed has heen separated a good stand of grass is assured by sowing
 pure seed at the rate of to lo pounds
 an acre. No preparation of the soil is
 necessary beyond clearing it of dead