West-Jersey pioneer., 1876-05-11
SEEDING LAND WITH GRASS

| A writer in the New York Herald says
Most tillers of the soil cannot be convinced
readily that it is better practice to SOW
grass seed and clover seed where no grain
is growing than to SOW such seed in connec-
tion with the seed of some cereal CROP
The argument in favor of stocking down
land with grass and clover where rye, wheat,
oats, or barley may be growing, is that the
young grass and tender clover require shade
until their own leaves have attained suffici-
ent size to shade the surface of the land. II
| young clover and grass could have the
benefit of partial shade the argument
would be reliable. But the tender plants
need the shade most just when the seedleaf
of the clover is unfolding and when the deli
cate spikes of grass are appearing. just at
that particular period the broad leaves of
the growing grain will spread out over the
entire surface, and in many places the foli-
age will be so dense that the young clover
and tender grass will be smothered. Every
observing person knows that young clover
and grass will often be entirely killed in
places where seed grain was sowed SO thick
ly as to cover the ground with dense foli-
age. If clover seed and grass could be
sowed on fresh and mellow seed bed when
thin crop of growing rye, wheat, oats, or
barley was about two feet high, the grass
and clover would then have the benefit of
partial shade, and none of the tender
plants would be smothered. But as that
would be impracticable, the better way to
insure good and satisfactory "catch' is
to SOW the grass and clover seed ON soil
recently worked, where no crop of grain is
growing. Some farmers prefer to SOW their
grass and clover seed among their growing
Indian corn just before the tassels appear.
If level cultivation is adopted, this practice
will seldom fail to insure an excellent catch
of grass and clover, as the growing crop OF
corn will afford partial shade without
smothering any of the tender plants. If
the ground is in a state of medium fertility
where corn is growing, and if clover seed
and grass seed is sown among the corn
about the middle of summer, the young
forage plants will become so firmly rooted
before winter that cold weather will not
heave out the clover unless the soil is ex.
cessively wet. The practice OF stocking
down land in connection with crop OF
cereal grain has been in vogue so long that
few farmers can be persuaded to prepare
their ground by manuring, blowing, harrow
ing, grading, and rolling, and sow nothing
but grass seed and clover seed. Yet this
would be the better practice. When hay
seed is scattered along the barren track OF
the highway, wherever there is sufficient
depth of soil to effect termination, grass
will soon cover the ground, which proves
conclusively that if grass will grow in the
highway without any preparation OF the
soil, and without the advantage of con-
genial seed bed, and without any shade at
all, surely the young plants will grow lux
uriantly where the soil is fresh, mellow, and
fertile. The most important consideration
in stocking down land is to have the surface
mellow and sufficiently fertile to promote
buo SIOWCu VI young ClOVOi, oheA SAe'oo "AOoA
the seeds have terminated. In numerous
instances the land is in such an impover-
ished condition that young clover and ten
der grass cannot find any plant food in an
available state. Hence, shortly after the
little substance in the seed is exhausted the
plants will wither and die. During several
seasons past our practice has been to plow
the land in the former part of the growing
season, about the time to plant corn, harrow
the surface, making it smooth as practical
BILE, then SOW the clover and grass seed on
the fresh soil before rain falls. By scatter
ing the seed before the rain has fallen, most
of the little kernels will roll down in the
depressions, and the first rain will wash the
soil over them SO completely that every
one will terminate. If the surface is not
all lumpy. the sods and clods should be
placed in hollows, roller should be passed
over the field, and the grass seed should be
sowed after the ground is rolled. If grass
seed be narrowed in, more seed will be lost
by being buried too deep by the harrow
and the feet of heavy teams than will fail
to germinate in consequence of remaining
on the surface not covered with earth.