Arizona state miner., 1926-07-24
Utilize johnson
Grass for Haying
It's Aggressive Underground
Stems Make It Difficult
to Eradicate.
(Prepared by the United States Department
of Agriculture.l

tPrepared by the United States Department
OF Agrtculture.)
Nearly a century ago, in $780, to be-
exact, Governor Means of South Caro-
lima introduced a grass into the
United States which is native to the
Mediterranean coast countries of Eu-
rope and Africa. Ten years later Col.
William Johnson, the owner Of a.
large plantation near Selma, Ala, on
returning from visit to South Caro-
lima, brought with him some seed Of
the grass and sowed it on the rich bot
tom lands of the Alabama river. 1t
thrived wonderfully in this new local
ity, and soon became widely known
as Johnson grass.
Johnson grass, which has since
proved to be very great nuisance in
the South, became widely established
In the pastures, meadows and fields Of
the southern portion of the United
States. It's aggressive underground
stems make it difficult to eradicate
when once it has gained a foothold.
1t is primarily rich-land crop and is
always found on the better soils. It
makes Indifferent growth on the hill
sides or on poor soils anywhere.
Profitable as Hay Crop.
Where it already occupies the land,
Johnson grass may be proftably
utilized as hay crop, but it does not
make good permanent pasture On
the river bottoms and rich black soils
where the grass thrives and is already
established, 1t Is expensive to grow
cotton or other crops on account Of
the labor required to keep the land
free Of the grass. Under such condi-
tions, says the department, it is often
more profitable to devote the land to
the production Of Johnson hay:
With the idea in mind that it is
sometimes better to make use of the
grass when it is once established than
to expend time and effort to eradicate
it, the United States Department Of
Agriculture has issued Farmers Bull
letin No. 1476-F, which discusses the
best method Of utilizing the crop. To
encourage in any way the further
spread Of the grass is not intended.
Probably no other grass with an
inherent forage value possessed by
Johnson grass has been so universally
condemned largely because of its ag-
gressiveness and the accompanying
difficulty of eradication and also be-
cause it is abundant in a part of the
United States where the system Of
farming invites defeat of effort to sub
due it.
Has High Feed Value.
Stockmen in the cotton belt are
practically agreed that Johnson hay
has higher feed value than timothy
hay of the same grade. If uniformly
high grade of hay could be obtained,
there would be very little dissatisfac-
tion with it's feeding value. Most Of
the complaints arise from the fact
that there is so much poor hay on the.
markets. Better methods of curing
and storing the hay would result in
increased profits.
The prOductiveneSs Of john
son-grass meadow depends primarily
upon the character of the SOIL On
the richest and most suitable soils,
however, the meadows will not main
tain their original yields unless they
are cultivated at intervals. They will
be more productive if plowed up every
third or fourth year in the fall or
early spring and worked down with
a spike-tooth harrow. This kind of
cultivation, which would be ruinous to
most grasses, merely serves to stimR-
late the growth of Johnson grass.
A copy Of the bulletin may be OBJ
tanned, as long as the supply lasts, by
writing to the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, Washington.
D. c.