Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-05-14
Sowing Grass Seed.

II is very particular work to SOW
grass seed. Years ago when the soil
was richer than it now is. there was
very little trouble; the seed was sowD
upon the surface and terminated and
took root, and thrived without any
more care. But of late years all this
has changed, and it is with ve'y dit"
fcuh to get a catch of seed without
great pains TO prepare the soil well
for it. Tie PIN formerly pursued was
to seed down with gram crop and
sow the seed upos the young grain
ssily IN the ,plrg. This does not
Answer now because the soil Is too
POOR to grow the grass and the graiI
q, The ssmt time, unless it has been
nChly msnured, and very few farmers
indeed, If any, have the m"pure
e nal ib,ir land iieh enough. \
diffe,ai, method must now prevail.
ozeepfit Q under exceptional cireum =
stances, and that is IN. sow grass and
clover SEE d upon ground specially pre-
partd-f, the purpose, and withOu
sDy other crop to interfere and rob y
Ct 'he food I,q,iled. In some cases
il may co to SOW the seed 10 the usual
manner, that is upon the young grain
ssTwhere tee soil is iicb, or a llberat
top dressing of fine manure can be
given. In such cases early sowing Is
advisable TO get the benefit of tn
fprirg rains and the soft mellow soil
in which the seed SINKS and is cover
ed with earth. Many farmers now
make practice Of narrowing the fall
grain ID the spring with a light slop-
isg.tooth harrow, and this greatly
i'm proves the condition Ofibe soil and
helps very much the young grain'and
provides such 6ne covering for the
grass seed as to insure its successful
growth.
In preparing grOuud for seeding
grass seed slore, some special method
is rtqSired. Grass is a shallow-root-
cd plant and needs only shallow
seed bed with a very hight covering
of soil. The seed is so small that the
sol must be made exceedingly fine to
furnish compact, yet mellow cover
ing. In lumpy soil the seed will be
| est and perish from dying out. The
surface should be smooth, for the fu'
ture purposes Of the meadow. To Sc
cure all this a thorough blowing of
the surface should be given; the ground
should then be narrowed repeatedly
until it is made fine aud mellow; q
blush harrow or smoothing plan K
should then be drawn over the surface
to obliterate all the marks Of the har-
row teeth and make smooth face to
prevent the seed from falling into
these little burrows and making an
uneven growth, Then the seed may
be soWn and Immediately covered by
a light brush narrowing or by a
SIN ootbiDg drag. The quantity of
seed sown per acre is about as follows
oftimotby and clover, twelve pounds
of each: Of orchard grass and clover.
one and half bushels of the former
twenty pOunds) aud twelve pounds Of
the latter; If the ground is low and
moisttbe best grasses are red top, f .
teen pounds, fowl meadow, grass If
teen pounds and imotby eight pounds
Orchard grass is becoming very pOpu'
lar on account of its early growth In
the spring,aud its maturity for cutting
at the time when red clover Is at its
best and three weeks before timothy
Is ready; its rapi d growth after cut
ting, and it's perm aucnce in the soil,
lasting as it does for twenty or thirty