156 AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE BULLETINS. 



Witli the writer's experience, having tested for some years over two hun- 

 dred kinds of grasses and clovers, both native and foreign, for Michigan and 

 places with similar climates, he would sow about two bushels of seeds (in 

 the chaff) of June grass, Poa pratensis, L., and two bushels of some small 

 bent grass, known as Rhode Island Bent, Brown Bent, or Creeping Bont, 

 or as red top. The latter grasses vary much and are usually much mixed, 

 as they were in all the sam.ples above examined. 



A few ounces of white clover may be added, if the owner prefers, but it 

 is by no means very important. Each one of these two or three kinds of 

 plants will appear to cover the ground all over, so it will look uniform. 



To the farmer who is accustomed to sow coarse seeds for a meadow or 

 pasture the above quantity of seeds appears to be enormous. But the aim 

 is to secure many very fine stalks instead of a few large coarse ones. 



If a little sweet vernal and a little perennial rye grass are used a careful 

 observer, at certain seasons of the year, will see that the lawn looks " patchy." 

 Especially in early spring, or in very dry weather, some of these and others 

 often recommended, will grow faster than the rest and assume different 

 shades of green. For a lawn yiever use any Timothy, orchard grass, tall oat 

 grass, red clover, meadow fescue or other large grass or clover, but only the 

 finest perennial grasses or clovers. Sow the seeds in September or in March 

 or April, without any "sprinkling" of oats or wheat, and as soon as the 

 grasses get up a little and the straggling weeds get up still higher, mow 

 them, and keep mowing every week or two all summer. 



Avoid purchasing mixtures advertised in seed catalogues, as it will be 

 much cheaper and safer to buy each sort separately, and only one or two or 

 three sorts are desirable. The rarer grasses are mostly imported, and up to 

 the present time, as was said, have been found to possess very low vitality ; 

 besides, bad foreign weeds are very commonly mixed with these grass seeds. 

 There are good reasons, then, for buying common sorts, and, if possible, 

 those raised and cleaned in a careful manner. 



James Hunter, of England, in his manual of grasses, says: '^Careful 

 analysis of the mixed lawn grass seeds sold by some large seed houses at high 

 prices prove them to consist of from 40 to 50 per cent, of rye grass, whereas 

 not a single seed of rye grass shoiild be included in any mixture for produc- 

 ing a lawn." 



The Royal Agricultural Society of England employs a consulting botanist, 

 Wm. Caruthers, who, for small fees, tests the seeds for its members. lie 

 finds it best to avoid purchasing mixtures for lawn, pasture or meadow. 



The editor of ihe Gardener's Monthly echoes the sentiments of our best 

 judges in this matter when he advises for lawn to sow June grass or red top 

 cither one alone or both mixed. 



E. S. Carman, one of the editors of the Rural Neiu Yorker and manager 

 of a fine homestead and an experimental farm, writes: " Thirteen years ago 

 we sowed on different parts of an acre of lawn blue grass, red top, Rhode 

 Island bent and the Mawn mixtures' sold by seedsmen. To-day the red top 

 presents the finest and brightest appearance, while the ' lawn mixtui-e' por- 

 tion has since been re-sown with red top and blue grass." 



IN CONCLUSION. 



If not so already, make the soil strong, drain thoroughly, deeply pulver- 

 ize, harrow and hand rake the surface carefully. In early spring, or in 



