Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-04-19
How 10 sow oraas Seed.

TOW 10 90" GfdSS o00us
The Practical Farmer has the fol.
lowing on sowing grass seed:
1t is usual to sowgrass seed asearly
as possible, so that the young plants
may make a fair growth before the
very warm days of summer. The
principal grass crop is clover, which is
sown upon the wheat, the young
clover being thus shaded and protect
ed by the growing wheat. 1t is COM
mon to SOW clover seed without the
use of harrow for covering. though
a brush is sometimes passed over it il
| the field is clear OF snow, and then,
again, the seed is sometimes sown
over the snow, upon which it remains
until the snow melts and the seed finds
its way to the soil.
Farmers who contemplate sowing
seed over the wheat should endeavor
to first harrow the field before sowing
the seed. The advantages are that
the yelled of wheat will be Increased by
spring narrowing, while the amount
OF grass seed required for an acre may
be lessened. II the ground is uneven,
and thrown up by the frost, pass the
roller over the field after sowing the
grass seed, and the field will besmooth-
ed, the wheat benefited and the seed
covered.
As rule timothy and clover are
used together, but no two grasses
could be selected more at variance in
regard to growth and periods of rip
ening. Timothy is earlier than clover,
but still the two crons must be NOW.
ed together when grown upon the
same field. The consequence is that
either the timothy must be oyeripe
or the clover not fully matured.
Orchard grass is suggested as
a substitute for timothy as it
ripens in about the same time as
clover. The objection TO orchard
grass is its tendency to grow in tus.
socks, but this may be partially
avoided by care in sowing the seed
evenly. 1t stands the drought well,
and grows On nearly all kinds of soil.
As pasture it ranks high, due to its
beginning to grow very early in the
! season.
One OF the most frequent causes oil
| failure in securing good catches" is
using an insufficient quantity oil
seed. Clover, especially, does not
always make q heavy stands owing,
| as a rule, to carelessness in the Use oil
| the seed. When it is considered that
much of the seed sown over the sur
face is uncovered and that a large
proportion is destroyed by severe
/ cold, birds, and other causes, it is
best to use an excess rather than too
| little. II the amount OF seed usually
/ sown were increased and the seed har,
rowed in there would be good crops oil
| clover secured where catches" are
now difficult.
Toe best fertilizer for grass lands is
| potash, and the ext best is lime. A
| mixture of wood ashes and lime an.
swers, but the cheapest mode is the
use of the commercial sulphate Of
/ potash tkainitl. If grass seed is sown
in the tail, after the dry season has
! passed, there will be no necessity foI
! sowing it on grain field. On pastures
a small proportion OF different grass.
es may be added to the orchard grass
and clover, though for that purpose
| timothy may be freely used, such as
blue grass, meadow foxtail, white
| clover and sweet yernal grass. As
some grasses do not thrive on al
classes of soil it viii be found more
advantageous to rely principally on
clover, timothy and orchard grass
Pasture land should he prepared by
| reducing it TO fine condition, giving
a good broadcasting OF manure. Old
pastures should not be plowed, but g
good coating OF manure, with reseed'
/ ing, will prove beneficial.