Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-02-14
Gte farm,
SEEDING TO GRASS.

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Editors Of Country Gentleman: 49,. F
: Your correspondents often ask for the
. best method of seeding down grass. Grass
or hay is the principal crop grown in this
; vicinity for market, and much attention is
given to the cultivation of grasses and the
management of grassland. Perhaps a
statement of our practice in seeding down
will be of some service to others.
Of course the time and manner of seed
ing down must depend much upon the
character of the soil and its varying condi-
tions. but there are four methods general
ly adopted here, viz, seeding in the fall on
inverted sod; seeding in the spring with
small grain, and seeding in midsummer
among corn. -
Little need be said in regard to the first
method. We find, however, that to succeed
well here we must SOW between the 10th of
Sept and the middle of Oct. and that about
Oct. LIST is the safest time. If sown earlier
the seed may sprout and even roo, land then
ifa few hot drying days occur the plants are
destroyed. If they are sown later, there is
danger that cold weather may prevent the
plants from getting sufficient size and foot
hold to stand the winter, and they may be
killed or thrown out of the ground by
freezing. This time is also chosen for seed
ing down old ground after head crop has
been taken from the land, but we cannot
here clear off the corn crop in season for
this method. Still, I should think the
fields ofyour correspondent G. in Maryland
might be prepared and safely sown after
the removal of the corn. F/t
Sometimes the following course is pur-
sued: The land, inverted sod or old ground,
is put in good condition late in autumn,
'and the seed is sown just before the ground
freezes that it may settle into the soil and
be ready to grow. on the earliest return of
spring. In this course there is danger
that the washing of the soil will destroy
the,.evenness.of the sowing by depositing
the seed too thickly in the lower parts of
the field, and leaving other spots bare of
seed. To escape this mischief the second
method is adopted. The land is put in
good condition for the seed late in autumn,
and in March, or just as soon as the frost
begins to come out of the ground, the seed
is sown. It is seldom that the young plants
are injured by the heat of the summer in
this method unless hot and dry weather
immediately succeed the, cutting; but the
crop is much less than when it is soWn the
preceding September. The seed usually
catches well; the honey -comb condition OF
the surface, produced by successive freez-
ing and thawing of the surface before the
frost is out below, takes in and covers the
seed sufficiently, without any labor there
on. BE- -
The third method seeding down with
small grain-is not practiced SO much, as
it was formerly. Our soil is good for bar
ley, and itswas formerly sown with the
grass-seed. But a good catch of the grass
is now theemain object, and barley is but
little sown, as the young grass is often Sc
riously injured, and sometimes wholly de-
stroyed by the sun and wind on the remov-
al of the barley. Oats are worse in this
respect than barley, as they make denser
shade while growing, and the young grass
is always unhealthy and tender when the
oats are taken off. Wheat is never sown
here. We find to beless injurious than
any other grain to the grass; but it should
be sown thin and reaped high leaving
long stubble for the protection of the young
grass. The grain thus obtained is of little
account, but the straw brings higher
price than the best hay.
The best catch and growth of grass are
obtained by the fourth mode-sowing
among corn. In this method the manure
is narrowed in Though sometimes little
fine, manure is put under the corn,) the
land is furrowed, corn is planted in hills,
and no Milling up is done in the cultiva
tion of corn, but care is taken to keep the
ground level. At the last working of the
corn, when it is about two feet high, the
whole field is gone over with the cultiva-
tor IN one direction and then from time to
time as opportunity and the condition Of
the ground afford a chance to put in the
seed, strips of the fields are cultivated in
the other direction, being careful to cult
vate as much as can be seeded down at
once so as to have newly stirred soil for
the seed whenever it is sown. The seed
is then sown over the whole surface thus
cross-cultivated in the same manner it
would be were there no growing corn upon
the ground. Immediately after thus SOW
ing the seed the land should be worked
over with hand implement, either hoe
to achopn the seed in and level the surface,
or, ip more friable soils, with steel rake
to ssbrush" the soil level, and thus cover
the seed and leave the surface all right
Grass thus sown starts more evenly, and
makes a larger and healthier growth before
winter than it does in any other manner,
and yields, full crop the next sumner
The growing corn shades it from the heat
and drought Of Angus. without sitting it,
and the removal of the corn lets in the sun
and air just the right time to have it
harden up before winter. When the corn
is, harvested it is cut up at the ground, and
the,next April, while the ground is soft,
workman with large long-handled mall
let made for the purpose, or light beetle,
goes over the ground driving all the corn
stubs. Gin two rows at a tramp) into the
ground. and out of the way of the mower
and rake. This method requires more
hand labor than amy of the others, but the
advantages of it are 80 great as amply to
compensate for the extra labor. So much
care and labor as we bestow upon the pro-
eeeds here might not be best where both
land and hay are cheap; or in such local.
ties, or where large field Is. to be seeded,
H., 4