Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1903-11-13
SOWING GRASS SEED
Preparation of Soil Should be
Very Thorough.
The Narrowing Should Be Continued
Until Surface Is Smooth.

AS a rule. the sowing of grass OF
various kinds Is made with some
grain crop. and usually In the fall with
wheat or rye. This method, however,
is not Just to the grass, nor Is II fav-
orable for the best results TO the seed
ing. The so-called foster crop very
often robs the grass and exhausts the
soil OF its needed nutriment, and a very
poor catch is the result. III the soil Is
thoroughly well prepared by manuring
and sufficient tillage. the two crops
may grow together very well. and tie
grass make a good stand. But this
is seldom the case except with few
farmers. who need no advice or sug-
gestion upon the subject. The great
majority of farmers need to study this
subject, and understand the require
ments OF the grass for its successful
culture.
The preparation Of the soil should he
very thorough. The land should be
plowed deeply, and q liberal coat of
manure turned under, not buried, but
with the burrows laid over at an angle
OF forty-five degrees. SO that the ma
nure lies between the layers of soil
standing on edge in a sloping manner.
The harrow, run along the burrows,
works the soil and manure together,
mixing them and making them fine
and compact The narrowing should
be continued until the whole surface
is as smooth as garden, and the soil
is quite fine. II the land is clayey
and lumpy. it should be rolled between
the harrowings.
Sowing the seed alone is preferable
II any grain crop at all is used. II
should be oats in the spring, or buck
wheat early in July, as may be most
convenient. Excellent seeding has been
made early in August with a pound of
turnip seed to the acre. This shelters
the young grass during the winter. and
dying, the turnips decay i'm the spring
and afford a most useful fertilizer for
the crop. Timothy and clover, and or
chard grass and clover. and the three
kinds mixed, and orchard grass alone,
have been sown in all of these three
ways with better results than when
sown with fall grain and subjected to
the risks OF the winter weather
In sowing grass and clover seeds an
even stand is desirable, and to secure
sowing A very good practice is to
make the last narrowing with great
care. evenly and with the marks all
parallel. Then the sower can follow
these marks, first taking the edge OF
the field and returning six short PAGES
distant from the first course. Then re-
turning on the second course, and al
ways sowing with the right hand TO
the left. Six feet for each cast is as
much as can be taken with light seed.
as orchard grass. blue grass. redtop,
etc, and as much as should be taken
with timothy. and the quantity of seed
taken may be readily gauged TO the
width of the cast. The cast is made
with each movement of the right foot.
When the wind is blowing even slight
| ly. the casts should be made low. to
avoid irregular dropping of the seed,
and when the light seeds are sown il
is easier to walk across the harrow
marks when the tracks made are
easily seen. and as the wind may carry
the seed TO one side, the sower may 90
out of the straight track to accommo-
date the wind, and on returning can
easily distinguish the foot marks of
the previous track in the soft soil
\ broadcast seeder is a convenient
thing, and costs but little, and can be
carried by the sower with ease. II
drops the seed low, and if the sower
goes face to the wind at the start. the
seed is not spread unevenly. When.
In spite OF all care. an irregular seed
ing is anticipated, it is we'll TO sow
half the seed one way, and cross the
sowing the other way when vacant
spaces may be covered An inexperi-
enced sower should practice on the
snow, using sand. which can be easily
seen on the white surface, and In two
or three attempts he will be able to
make the sowing quite evenly.
The sowing should be done as soon
as the last narrowing is finished, when
the seed sinks in the loose soil. or Is
covered by the first shower. A smooth
ing plank is good thing to cover
seed with. 1t may be eight or ten
feet long, and is fitted with a tongue
and two stiff braces. The tongue is
fitted on the plank on a level, so that
when it is raised the front end of the
plank is elevated a little This pre-
vents the plank from gathering stones
or seeds in front of 1t, and causes IL
to ride over them. 1t leaves a smooth.
even surface.