Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-01-29

In my own practice find it pays to make
speciality of growing grass intead OF giving
it a second or third position in the rotation
Instead of plOughing up a rundown Held
and then cropping it year or two before
seeding. | find it equally sure and much
more profitable to prepare the land as Tor
other crops. and then seed down to grass
alone. Ii grass isnd is turned over after
haying and re-seeded early IN the fall "a full
crop may be cut the following summer; but
in raising grass in this way, it is essential
that the work should all be done in the very
best manner. We must, by thorough cul-
! tiyation. in 9 few weeks time do what ma
ture does In one or more years, that Is, we
must make deep, fine, mellow seed bed and
mingle the fertilizers very thoroughly
through the soil and have them in such Z
condition that the Young grass can obtain
from them Immediate benefit.
| The first requisite to this end Is good
plonghing, for unless this is thoroughly
done all the after cultivation will be imper-
feet and the success but partial.
use swivel ploughs, wholly, that may
have the fewest possible number OF frst
and last burrows, which can never be turned
quite as well as the others.
The depth of the burrows must be such
that a. good seed bed may be made on the
inverted side without danger of turning
them back. The deeper and wider the FUR
rows, they more likely they are to remain
grass side down during the subsequent cul-
tiyation.
The first implement that follows the
plough is harrow, with teeth or cutters
so shaped that they will cut. skive and pull
yerize the soil without catching and turn
ing back the burrows. like the spike tooth
harrows or common cultiyators in general
use.
There are several kinds OF harrows that
will pulyerize the soil perfectly, without
tearing up the turf. and they are absolutely
indispensable for preparing newly turned
sward land for seeding. Alter field has
| been worked over several times with the
| Shares, or similar harrow, have some
times found it advisable to go over it with
a common cultivator, to loosen the soil
little deeper, and to more thoroughly mix
the manure with the soil than | could with
the Shares harrow. But unless the first
ploughing was deep and perfectly well done
| the cultiyator should not ne used. To Sc
cure the best results from fall seeding, the
/ ground should be ploughed Immediately al
ter the hay crop is removed, that the turf
may have As much time as possible tor rot
ting, and the top soil have some time to lie
exposed to the weather between each har
rowing-iOr two borrowings, q week apart,
/ are much better for mixing manure, or for
/ pulverizing the soil, than il made on the
same day, especially if the ground receives
a shower during the interval.
Ii a heavy coat OF coarse manure is TO be
| applied, it should be spread soon after the
! first narrowing. that it may have the beno-
| tit of all the subsequent cultivation; but II
! only a light dressing OF fine manure or as
/ rat shn Ia
Spread evenly on the surface, and narrowed
| or pushed in lightly with the seed. and left
| where the roots of the young grass plants
can reach it at once.
| believe there Is no place where the com
mon farmer can use good commercial fer
tilizers with less risk of failure than on land
to be seeded with grass. The failures 50
often caused by placing too great guam
tity of concentrated fertilizers near the roots
of young plants, are easily avoided By using
in this way, while at the same time every
plant will be benefited at the start, if the
fertilizer Is worked evenly into the soil.
Ii requires a little more labor TO prepare
a seed bed upon inverted sod than on an old
cultivated field. but if the right kind Of
tools are selected, and they are properly
used. quite as good crops OF grass may be
grown in this way as after hoed crops.
Owing to the effects Of extreme droushts,
or to the depredations of the larva OF the
dor-heetle, ] have occasionally found 1t
desirable to re-seei larger breadth Of sward
land than | had sufficient manure for. or
tine to attend to carly in the fall. Most
farmers would plant such land with some
hoed crop before seeding, but | claim the
privilege OF growing grass, and nothing
| else. 50 long as grass - needed above Al!
] Al nj MT
Several years ago had field ploughed
in the fall for planting the following
spring. On one side was a level strip
of lowland. which had been well turn
ell by the plough, and which was not need
Ell for nlanting ! MANFRED the field all
alike. and worked it down smooth and hne.
After il was ready TO plant. | asked myself
why piece of green sward can not be made
70 produce grass jnst as well sown IN spring
as old ground, provided it i rich and mel
| low? Thinking. perhaps, should never
know without trying it, | decided to seed
This strip to grass alone, and the expert
mont was 50 entirely successful, that have
never since hesitated TO SOW grass on green
swari in spring. Whenever. from anY cause,
il seemed desirable to do 50.
do not claim that this is the best way to
re-seed. but that, under certain circum-
stances. it Is good way. II | were intend
ING 10 adopt this method, | should plough
early in the fall, apply the manure at any
convenient time, and % over the ground
with harrow or cutiyator about every ten
DAYS or two weeks us long As 1t remained
! untr0Zen.
II would then be fine, mellow, and some
what rotten, and after one or two good
| harrovings in the spring would be IN good
condition to receive the seed. In this way
no crop is lost. | have one field OF moist
meadow land that has been treated IN tins
way for several years, never cutting less
than two crops a year, and usually three.
If haste were of less Importance than per
feet work. | should say that the very best
method of re-seeting grass land without
planting would be TO plough after haylng,
keen the ground narrowed during the tall
and spring, and then. after manurlng IT..
seed in August. would lose a crop IN this
way. hut the land would produce full crops
for several wears afterwards. hsve follow
ed this course in the renovation OF OLD pas
lures with no drawback, except that pas
| lures treated in this way are apt 20 come
out mowings instead of pastures. One heid
treated in this way and sOwed about the
Goth of July, required moving the hrst
wear. Sown thus early i. would be better TO
thns 90, a valuable crop OF roots with very
ii,tIe cost and little or no injury to the
crass In this way there would be no loss
of a crop Although the early fall IL the
best time for sowing all kinds OF grass,
find TINT If wish to SOW IN both fall and
snr;nr there isa choice IN the varieties to
he sawn AZ each period
Timothy is one OF the poorest kinds OF
| grass for spring seeding without gram, ana
eercbard grass one of the best. The former,
I;ta The enjon is bulbous rooted and can not
he @e cpt with safety until it has reached some
degrce of maturity. Spring sown plants
nnder the influence of the warm growing
weather of June, make very rapid growth,
nm I'm tall and Slim. but are soft and full
Of San. and ,onr before the bulbs are ma
tured the tops beg,r 70 lodge and the whole
must he moved or the e.op will spoil by
snfiocarion. fit Is cut as close IS grass is
usnailv emit. the chances are that largo
PORTION of TIE timothy plants will never
revive. simply because the bulbs have not
1 E, -lo,,