Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-03-21
Gbea farln,
SEEDING DOWN LAND,

3 eESG
The point in seeding down is, to iget.a
start only a footing, but growth at
theaosttset. This wilbstrengthen the plant
and enable it to stand the shade and
crowd of the grain sow7n with IT Or, #
sownwithout grain the better way where
the land is poor-there will be a crop the
same season of increased amount. I! s[ll
But it is necessary to have good start,
so as to have, all or enough of the seed to
form, good stand. Now, poor, light soil
will not do this unaided by manure; hence
the loss of SO much seeding, and the stray
Cling Condition of still more, never Afford
ing sufficient to pay expenses.
Set, q close crop, and the very agency
thus used will carry it forward, at least
with the aid of plaster when the crop is
clover. Once well set and advanced
drouth, the great enemy to grass, will have
butlittle effect, as the ground is occupied
by the cool plant shading it, and retaining
much of the moisture which it draws from
the land. 1zsE, 81 49,. e Gsse$i tSl
But how shall we secure thick set and
good start9 1t is easily done, and may
be made certainty. If the land is quite
poor or run down, several things are to be
considered. First, whether there is. to be
a crop of grain grown with it. If so, the
grain must be put in early, early as posi-
BILE, so that the seeding may get the mois-
ture usual at this time of year. Next, there
must be manure applied, or the grainmust
be dispensed with. Even if the grain is
dispensed with, it were better to apply the
manure; this would make it safe. You
are sure to get catch, and a thick one,
where plenty of seed has been used, not
less than peck of clover or timothy per
acre; ten or twelve quarts are better.
If you have a nellooo, rich compost, and
spread this e0eny over the land after it is
plowed, and narrowed, Qpnd rolled, and
then SOW your seed---eyenly of course
followed by fine harrow,-or the roller
alone may do,@if this is:6one early in the
season (the ground having been prepared
the seed taking, and taking nearly or quite
all, which will make a stand that it will
do to look at. ll~vl "a
And the soil is now another thing. A
thick, crowding set of plants, must from
necessity have corresponding thick set
of roots, almost, and in some cases, touch
ing each other, moving and mellowing the
soil as they burrow and crowd it. Your
pillow. breaking through here will turn Ap
agmass of roots and mellow earth, and this
is the best pabulum forplants. Hence the
advantage ofclover in improving the land
Half the roots would have furnished but
half the amount of manure, and this would
have been considered an unusually good
crop, while Worseis the usual case. 1T /,
We have demonstrated this thing in this
celebrated clover and dairy region, central
New York, where clover is always the first
crop of each seeding. The most careful of
farmers, and farmers who have learned to
"throw away seed" as it is called when
more than pecksper acre is sown, and to
raise grass Tor clover crop the first sea-
son n.the place of grain, and who know
how well it pays to use manure to start
and advance the crop, have their three
tons per cutting per acre, two cuttings in
a season, with good 7aftersyath for pro-.
lection and growth in the. spring.
In rich soil there needs but early sowing
and thick sowing. The best grain decid-
edly to sow with is winter wheat, and sow
on the late SHOWS in the spring, or trife
later if it lis feared for the clover. For
spring grain, wheat stands first; barley
next to it, or about equally good : then
eats which should be. sown thin. This
last is of mportance, as. it will lessen but
little the grain crop, and will benefit the
seeding -, - ''-i.'' =
Whensit iissintended to seed down with
out this grain crop, the land should be
prepared in the fail SO as to sow as early
as. possible. when the frosts are yet work
ing with the soil-Neao York Observer. 90 ?