The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-06-04
Sowing Grass Seed.

VI GIl6 CUuubIN dSIoc III I0ldtlOH W JIG
time and manner of sowing most crops.
But such is not the case in regard to
grass. Among twenty good farmers
living in the same neighborhood it is
rare to find two who agree in regard to
the best kind of grasses to raise, the
amount of seed required for a given
number of acres, the time of sowing, or
the manner of covering the seed. Tim
othy is the fashionable grass in this part
of the country, and many farmers sow
no other kind. They know that it will
not remain in the soil many years, but
they think that red top and blue grass
''will come in naturally"
Some sow the seed in the fall, and
others in the spring; some cover it with
harrow, some by means of brush, and
some employ only roller. A few adj
vocate sowing the seed on the surface of
late snow, or on the bare ground
while it is still frozen, and rely on the
action of rain or the thawing of the soil
to cover it.. Some think that soil on
which grass seed is to. be sown should
be ''as mellow as an ash heap" while
others declare that it should be ssfirmed'
before the seed is scattered over it..
Some sow grass seeds at the same time
they do grain, others wait till the grain
is up, and still others defer sowing till
the crop of grain is harvested. A few
advocate seeding to grass alone as the
best method of securing the best stand
in the shortest time, and of the employ
ment of the smallest amount of seed.
That but very small proportion of
grass seed produces plants that "live
and thrive and grow" is evident from
the great amount of seed sown and the
comparatively small number of plants
that appear. In many parts of the coun-
try it is the general practice to SOW a
bushel of red, top seed, half a bushel of
timothy and four quarts of red clover to
the acre. If all these seeds terminated
and became established in the soil, there
land, or about 1000 on every square
foot. OF course, such an amount of
vegetation could not be supported on
the soil. The plants would crowd each
other so closely that they would destroy
each other. Still, many sow a larger
amount of seed than that given above.
In preparing some of the parks in this
city eight bushels of grass seed were
sown on an acre.
Of course, something must be wrong
somehow" for with all the seed sown
there is often a very poor catch; that
much of the seed sown is worthless is
certain. The grains are too small to
admit of examining their condition with
the naked eye and few persons are will
ing to take pains to test their vitality by
~; l..
ing them where the progress of germ
ination may be watched. Most very
small seeds do not retain their vitality a
great length of time, especially when
they are exposed to the air in climate
that is variable. A large amount of
grass seed is carried over from year to
year, and if not sold in distinct lots is
mixed with that of recent growth. A
considerable amount of grass seed loses
its vitality before it is threshed, on ac-
count of its becoming wet. Heating in
the stack is another cause of the de-
struction of the vitality of grass seed.
When grass seed is sown on the snow
or on the surface of frozen ground, much
of it is picked up by birds. Some may
be blown away by the winds and some
washed off by the rains. Ii the seed is
subjected to the freezing and
thawing process several times, it
is not likely to retain its vitality.
If the seed is covered quite deep, as
wheat and other grains are, it may not
terminate at all, or if it does, the sprout
may not reach the surface of the soil.
If there is not sufficient covering, or the
ground is too dry, the seed will fail to
terminate for want of moisture. Grass
seed, will rot if placed where there is
too much moisture, and it is often del
uged with water for some days after it
is sown. When grass seed is sown with
grains that make rapid and vigorous
growth the ground may be shaded to
such an extent that it will not germi-
nate.
Seemingly it would be best to sow
grass seed on ground where no other
crop is raised. By so doing, it will have
all the benefit of soil and sun. But, as
a rule, it is not advisable to do this.
If no oats or other grain be sown, weeds
will be almost certain to take and keep
possession of the soil. The soil may
then be free from foul seeds, but weeds
will make their appearance before the
grass does and will tower above it 1;
what is worse, they will attain large
size. shade the ground, keep the grass
in check, and ripen their seeds. In
truth, they will be the means of keeping
the ground foul for several successive
years. Grass seed may be sown by itself
to good advantage when the ground has
recently been cleared and burnt over, or
when it is situated at q. considerable
distance from land that has been under
cultivation, and produced a crop of
weeds. The pieces of land, however,
are scarce on which grass can be sown
to itself without the appearance of
weeds. In portion of country as much
exposed to the action of winds as the
prairie rigions of the West, the seeds of
weeds blow in all directions. They are
also carried from one place to another
by birds and numerous small animals.
They possess great vitality and are able
to adapt themselves to soil, season and
climate. a.t.t.
Many persons fail to obtain good
stand of grass which is sown at the same
time grain is, because they SOW the latter
too thick. 1t completely shades the
soil, and il the grass seed terminates at
all the plants make a very spindling
growth. "A heavy crop of GRAIN ia har