Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense L., Pers.) is a native of the Mediterranean coastal countries and was introduced into the United States about 1830 by Governor Means of South Carolina (5). About ten years later some seed was planted in fertile river bottom soil near Selma, Alabama, by Colonel William Johnson. As Colonel Johnson was the first person to cultivate the grass extensively in the United States, it was named for him. Since that time, the grass has been intentionally cultivated and unintentionally disseminated in many areas of this country. A recent distribution map by Hitchcock (3) shows that the plant may be found in all but about a dozen northern states.