Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-03-03
[From the Southern Planter and Farmerl
Securing a Stand of Glover and
Grasses.

BY DIR. ]. A. REID, MADISON CoU MY
Yours requesting my plan of sowing
clover seeds and other grasses Is re-
ce.ved. The character of the soil has
much to do with our time OF sowing
clover seed. On stiff, close land, we
prefer TO sow the seed early, say Slater
part of February or early in March,
when we can have the land in good, dry
order, and follow the seeding with a
good, heavy smoothing harrow. On
soft. loose, loamy lands, such as the
hill lands in Madison county, lying near
the Blue Ridge, easily affected by silsnt
freezes, we think it unsafe to sow clover
sooner than the last Of March. we
sow as soon after that as we can IND
the ground in good, dry, working order
beginning with the smoothing harrow
followed Immediately by the roller,
when we commence sowing the seed
Seeds on stiff, compact land require to
be sowed early, that the freezing ana
thawlng of the earth may help TO cover
them, and the young plant is not apt to
be destroyed by freezing. The kHnng
is done at the root, from the lifting OF
the land by frost; and, as our stltf lanes
are not much affected by frost. the plant
rarely gets killed, becomes better root
ed and more able to stand the hot sun
and driving wind. Of summer but upon
the soft, spongy lands a very slight
freeze loosens the earth about the roots
lifts the plant upon and kills it, making
II very unsafe to such land cefore the
first Of April. We SOW as early there
after as We find the land IN good work
iur order. harrow them in, and roll
compactly. Three or four warm days
bring the seed up strong and vigorous
the plants grow right of with good, deep
root and is not more liable to be Killed
BY the summers sun than the earlier
seeding. We sow clover seed in squares
"a large as we can get them-some-
times around whole field, the hands
walking about eight feet apart, nearly
abreast, and sowing to the left, follow
ed with a coulter just outside the hind
most scotsman, to mark of the lands;
the hand with the coulter keeping close
enough to see the seeds tall, and regu'
lating his furrow by the falling OF the
seeds. We SOW one gallon OF clean
seed per acre; we raise our own seed
and pull them, and, IN addition to the
clean seed, we SOW the Oh aft (Which al
WAYS has much seed left in iD over the
field. We rarely fail in getting stand
of clover. We SOW timothy seed in the
fall. when the wheat is sowed, using the
seed sower to the drill, and sowing from
one gallon to a gallon and a-hali to tne
acre. We also SOW orchard grass IN the
fall on early seeded wheat up to- 9Th
or 10th of October; later than 10th OF
Oct. we wait until spring, abOnt the
same time of sowing clover ed,andsow
from is to 20 pounds per acre. In the
fall, the hand follows the Grill, sowing
IN front of it, the drill puts IN the seed.
In the spring, we mix ground plaster
with the seed dry, and SOW them IN still
weather they should be narrowed or
brushed in. We sow Randall grass or
meadow feseue in the spring, and
harrow it in lightly.
We like 10 get all grass seeds IN by
the Goth of April. as the land is apt to
become so close and compact by that
time, that 1t IS hard to get the seed
sufficiently covered to terminate, or II
there should be moist weather,to sprous
them on top the hard earth, a few dry
ing days would cause them to perish be-
fore taking root. We sow several kinds
OF grass on the same land; it gives us a
close, compact sod much sooner.