Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-05-21
Sowing Grass SEED.

Oh Inc country agree IN felaJlOn 10 Jne
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
q 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 "frmed"
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 bushel of
timothy and four quarts of red clover to
the acre. If all these seeds terminated
and became established in the soil, there
would be 100000 plants on an acre of
land, or about 2,0C0 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 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
counting out certain number and plac-
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, espc tially when
they are exposed to the air in a 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 &C
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. If the seed is
subjected to the freezing and
thawing process several times, il
is not likely to retain its vitality
If the seed is covered quite deep, a;
wheat and other grains are, it may no
terminate at all, or if it does, the sprou
may not reach the surface of the soil
If there is not sufficient covering, or The
ground is too dry, the seed will fail t.
terminate for want of moisture. Gras,
seed, will rot if placed where there il
too much moisture, and it is often del
uged with water for some days after i
is sown. When grass seed is sown will
grains that make rapid and vigorous
, growth the ground may be shaded t.
such an extent that it will not GERM
nate. .
Seemingly it would be best to SOW
grass seed on ground where no othe
crop is raised. BY so doing, it will hav
/ all the benefit of soil and sun. But, a
a rule, it is not advisable to do this
If no oats or other grain be sown, weed
will be almost certain to take and keel
/ possession of the soil. The soil ma
then be free from foul seeds, but weed
l will make their appearance before tn
[ grass does and will tower above it
! what is worse, they will attain larg
5 size, shade the ground, keep the gras
in check, and ripen their seeds. Ii
truth, they will be the means of keepin,
= the ground foul for several successiv
years. Grass seed may be sown by itsel
< to good advantage when the ground ha
t recently been cleared and burnt over, 0
t when it is situated at q considerable
= distance from land that has been unde
/ cultivation, and produced a crop O
G weeds. The pieces of land, however
: are scarce on which grass can be sow,
to itself without the appearance @
: weeds. In a portion of country as muc
: exposed to the action of winds as tn
2 prairie rigions of the West, the seeds 9
I weeds blow in all directions. They ar
t also carried from one place to anothe
b by birds and numerous small animals
r They possess great vitality and are abb
to adapt themselves to soil, season an
n climate.
G Many persons fail to obtain a goo
=, stand of grass which is sown at the sam
Y time grain is, because they sow the latte
too thick. 1t completely shades tn
Y soil, and if the grass seed terminates &
e all the plants make very spindlin
Q growth. A heavy crop of grain is hal
s vested about the time the hottest weathe
of summer occurs. The slender, tende
] orrnSS 1nlants arn at nnnn nNnncnd To IN