The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-09-01
Napier Grass

If yea have anything that is good,
let il be known to your fellowman.
Every day brings to light new devei-
opments, new discoveries in the me-
chanical and electrical and mineral
world. 1t is so in the plant life. Pro-
ducts of the soil in vegetables, fruit
and grain and in forage crops. Among
the king Of the forage plants. the Kud-
"a q Iegume and a parental, the
strongest and best for cattle of all
kinds, and makes a greater yield per
acre than any other hay. The average
cut per acre in the western counties
of Florida is ten tons and in east and
south Florida, twelve to fourteen TONS
It cuts four to five cuttings the season,
and is a continual growing green crop
from early in the spring to late fall
You have nine months of continual
growing crops. in the western coun-
ties and twelve months in the southern
counties.
But new discovery has been made
of a wonderful new grass that has
yielded greater than the Kudzui, the
Napier grass. The South African
plant has been pronounced by expe-
rienced cattle and dairy men as well as
many agricultural writers as being
the solution of the worlds food prob
lem. The tonnage production per acre
exceeds four times that of any other
forage plant grown per acre and grows
IN ordinary soil. In quality analysis
it surpasses tht finest grade of alfal-
IA and equal in protein with the Kud-
zu.
| Napier grass was introduced by the
United States government about six
years ago from South Africa and has
grown to be the quickest growing and
the heaviest producing plant ever dis
similar in appearance to Japanese
cane. but much tenderer and grows
faster. 1t is a perennial and can be
planted from the roots any month in
the year and will produce mature cut
tings every sixty to ninety days after
cutting and should be grazed all win
ter. It will continue to produce for
years when properly worked and fer
tilted. 1t grows we'll on wet or dry
land but is a dry weather plant. The
better the soil of course the better the
yield.
Napier grass is a fine feed, whether
green or dry and is relished by cows
especially, as well as by hogs and
poultry. It's high analysis and great
producing faculty will eventually make
staple basis for many a ground
feed. Experts from the Agricultural
department of the University Of Flor
ida in Bulletin 1913. dated February.
ed fro v1Ig
report of the result Of experiments
with the Napier grass in all its phases
to date. Since then. however. private
Experiments have resulted further ad-
vantages, both in production and ap-
plication as forage crop. Napier
grass has a better solution Of the very
trying cost problems confronting the
cattle raisers and dairy men, not in
Florida alone. but America.
Napier grass is a native of tropi-
cal Africa. The Rhodestien Depart
ment of Agriculture has the distinct
lon of having introduced it into cui-
tivation about the year 1910. In 1918
the United States department Of Ag-
riculture first introduced II into this
country and here it promises to be the
most valuable plant in the south, in
GLIDING the whole state OF Florida.
The Florida Experimental station has
distributed il in small lots since 1915.
IN many widely separated sections Of
the state.
Napier grass Is a rank growing cane
Ike perennial II ~rowS In height from
six to twelve feet or more. The plant
tills extensively. form1ne clumps with
many course leaf stalks under favor
BILE conditions and where the plant Is
not crowded many stalks may be pro-
duced by a single plant. such large
elumps are. Of course. unusual bus an
Average Of one to two dozen stalks
from each plant IS common. The stalks
OF cane are erect growing and easy
Tits grass may be propoRatad from
the joints or bottoms OF the sane or
from the division Of the root ciumps.
Or from SEED.
The matured cane should be cut IN
the fall before heavy freezes. one
of the tests made at the experimental
station within the past year yielded
at the rate of nineteen and one fifth
tons to the acre. Another planting
made at a different time and under
somewhat different conditions gave a
crop weighing at the rate of 80 IL
tons of green feed to the acre. These
results were obtained from a first crop
of newly broken good pine land
without fertilizer. This grass affords
great promises as a soiling crop. 1t
grows very rapidly and may be cut
when it is four to five feet high. sup
plying heavy yield of green fodder. |
IN nutritive value and palpability,
Napier grtss is probably not excelled
by any sirnSsar food known to the Ag-
ricultural Department of the United
States.