1. A newvariety of bermuda grass as shown and described.
World Feeder Bermuda grass is a mutant developed through selection on my
acreage in Bethany, Okla. It comes from a planting in 1973 of Alicia
Bermuda grass and has all of the good qualities of Alicia. However, the
drawback of Alicia was that it was not winter hardy in colder climates.
The major difference is that World Feeder Bermuda grass has proven winter
hardy. It has thrived in the face of severe winters, where there were days
on end of -5 to +10 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill factors of -20 to
-30 degrees. No winter kill has been evidenced during this time.
The World Feeder Bermuda grass is a fast growing, hybrid Bermuda grass,
averaging knee high in summer, growing approximately 1 inch per day in
warm weather, has a deep penetrating root system, and is tender and
succulent for pasture grazing and hay. The crude protein averages around
19% plus, with digestible protein approximately 75%. Tests show the crude
fiber to be 16% and the fat 2.5%. It has great drought resistant qualities
due to the deep root system and has a sweet taste. It retains 50% of its
greenness even after a killing frost (November 1st in Oklahoma) and stays
relatively green until late December. Emergence begins in April and by
June 1 is in full growth.
`World Feeder` Bermuda grass, Cynodon dactylon var. aridus (seems to be the
same variety as Alicia) is a stoloniferous sward-forming perennial with
sparse long, slender, deeply penetrating rhizomes; surface stolons slender
and very fast spreading, sometimes reaching lengths of 10-12 meters; culms
slender, 8-40 cm. high and 0.5-1.25 mm. in diameter. Leaf-blades flat, or
folded when dry, often short and narrow, 1-12 cm. long and 2-4 mm. wide,
glaucous, scaberulous, with or without scattered hairs; liqule a
membranous rim 0.2-0.3 mm. long, ciliate on the edge. Inflorescences few
with 4-6 racemes usually 4-6 cm. long, in a single whorl. Spikelets 2-2.5
mm. long; glumes lanceolate in side view, 1-nerved, the upper 1/2-3/4 as
long as the spikelet; lemma silky pubescent on the keel; palea glabrous.
Growth habit results in production of a very loose mat rather than a turf.