Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-01-17
Preparing Land for Grass.
Cor Country Gentleman.

Our pesI lauu Is put 10 gram, ana IL
gets our best attention to put it in or>
der. When it ceases to give satisfac-
tory crops, it is put to grass, with the
expectation that this will improve it,
which it SOMETIMES does but in many
cases the grass soon "runs out" or fails
of catch, the land being too poor,
or, mechanically, in too unfavorable a
conditiOn-the latter the result which
inevitably follows the abuse of clay soil,
leaving it lumpy, and incapable of
withstanding drouth, while the little
plant food it may have is locked up in
the Jumps, or if liberated by soaking
rains, is carried beyond the reach of
the scant roots of the plant. Worse
than all is drouth, which usually proves
fatal to spring seeding on such land.
Here is the loss of the seed and of the
labor of sowing and brushing the land,
not unfrequently repeated the follow.
ing year with the same result, to say
nothing of tie diSarrangement of crops
consequent upon such failure. Should
moist season occur, there will be at
best but weak growth, and, unless
heavily seeded, light catch, some
seed being always thrown away on
such soil.
Such management has been the
means of an immense loss, and is still
heavy drain. This is to be deplored,
and the more so as the remedy is so
evident-simply better preparation
of the soil, which means not only the
use Of Implements, aided by the ele>
ments, particularly frost, but enrich
ment as well. Where land is Intended
to be seeded down, whether in cOnnec>
ton with grain crop or without, it
should receive extra attention in order
to favor the incresed demand of the
double crop of the grain and the forage
plant, or the latter if sown alone SO as
to secure not only good catch and a
good start, but to continue the growth
and sustain the plant during the drouth
which seldom fails to to occur. In
this way fair to good crop is realized
the same season if grown without an
accompanying grain crop, with the
prospect of an increased yield the fol-
lowing season, to be further kept up
with manure, which, if properly ap-
piled, will suffer no loss on grass lands,
the network of roots which forms the
sod appropriating all, time in such case
being allowed for this. Further, a
good coverof grass will prevent the
rays of the sun and the drying winds
from getting access to the ground, and
will hold the dew and the moisture of
rain longer. The main loss of mois-
ture is what the plants themselves take
from the soil, and the greater the guam.
tity the better, as it is measure of
the growth of the crop. This measure
applies to the roots of the plant as well,
which penetrate deeply if favored by
culture, and this culture, deep and
mellow, is necessary, when it is con-
sidered what an amount of water grass
takes from the soil, the process going
on during the entire season, from early
spring till late fall, the grams occupy
ing but half that time. Deep culture
is therefore of more Importance in
growing grass crop than one Of grain.
As in our drouthy climate we do not
obtain the requisite amount Of moisture
from the air, we must seek for it in
the ground, and only in its depth can
it be obtained. In this way heavy
. crops and a good sod are secured, the
sod when turned down, still further
benefting the land by introducing
vegetable matter, which distributed
through it is one of the best means Of
favoring moisture. This prepares the
ground not only for further growing
grass or clover, or any other forage
crop, but in superior manner grain
;ncluding wheat, if the soil is composed
rrgely of clay.
The growing of sod, as is we'll known
to good farmers, is one of the princi
pal means of improving land, as tn,
dairy regions have long since shown il
this country aud grazing in England