THE GRASSES IN THE INTERIOR

THE GRASSES planted in the interior of the island for livestock are molasses-grass, a prostrate, twining, fine, hairy, sweet-smelling grass that is relished fairly well by livestock after they become accustomed to it; Guatemala grass, a rank-growing nutritious grass well adapted to acid soil in humid sections; and the Napiergrass (elephant grass), which somewhat resembles Uba sugarcane.

All the molassesgrass is pastured; after it becomes established, it is excellent for the prevention of soil erosion. It would be exceedingly difficult for water passing across a field of this grass to have sufficient force to wash soil particles from the intricately woven lower leaves and roots.

The Guatemala and Napier grasses generally are cut by hand, made into bundles, and carried to the stables or corrals. In this way enough hay can be gathered from an acre of most soil types to feed four or five oxen or dairy cows throughout the year.

Other grasses of importance for livestock in the humid districts are grama or St. Augustinegrass, cerillo, and matojo. The St. Augustinegrass, superior to the other two, is exceedingly good when grown on the alkaline soils. It also is good for the control of erosion, as its long runners securely anchor themselves to the soil and extend over gullies and on both sides of ditch banks, thus binding the soil in place. Cerrillo grows mostly in the subhumid districts, but it grows to some extent in the humid areas. It is considered a good grass for cattle or horses. Matojo grows in humid areas or on poorly drained soils. It is a rank-growing, coarse grass of doubtful value for livestock. The animals eat it, but it does not seem to keep them in good condition. It is also used in thatching houses.

The grass with the highest carrying capacity on the island is the malojillo grass, which grows on wet sites, which generally are recent alluvial soils subject to overflow. It is a tall, coarse grass that is always green. It is palatable and a heavy producer. Yields ranging between 7 and 8 tons to the acre are the average, and some fields have been said to produce 40 tons an acre during one year. This grass grows only on poorly drained soils or in humid districts. It would grow in the and districts if the land were irrigated. It is generally cut by hand and fed in bundles, but it is also pastured. Most of the poorly drained soils of the flood plains are neutral or alkaline in reaction, and apparently the quality of the feed produced is high. Dairymen report that cows do very well on malojillo grass.

In Puerto Rico, as in other parts of the world, there appears to be a close correlation between the quality of the forage, the fertility of the soils, and the health of man and animals. In general, the more fertile the soil, the better the forage, and therefore the healthier the animals.

THE AUTHOR--Ray C. Roberts, soil scientist in the Division of Soil Survey, Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering, is principal soil correlator for the Far Western Region and is stationed in Berkeley, Calif. He was in charge of the soil survey of Puerto Rico, which was started in 1928 and finished in 1936. Because of his previous experience on ranches and farms in Wyoming and Nebraska, as well as soil survey work in Nebraska, Montana, New York, and Rhode Island, he readily recognized the relationship in Puerto Rico between the low fertility of the soils and the poor quality of crops and animals.