GRASS CROP. 101 



being made on account of the situation of the land or the quality of 

 the soil ; nor whether it is filled with water nearly to its surface, or 

 dry as a last year's bird's nest. I cannot account for this, except 

 that it is the fashion, and we have become as much wedded to it 

 as a lady to a fashionable bonnet. 



We have many grasses that will make as good hay as herds- 

 grass or red clover, and some better than either ; although for 

 reasons which I shall give hereafter, I would upon no considera- 

 tion dispense with red clover. 



Grass is an indigenous product of our soil, and wherever lands 

 are left without seeding, such grasses as are best adapted to those 

 lands will spring up and flourish. Let us then look at nature, and 

 if we must sow clover and herds-grass, let us also sow not only 

 two or three other kinds, but all the varieties adapted to those 

 soils. 



You may, perhaps, think you will overstock your soil by getting 

 on too much seed, or too great a variety, but I have yet failed to 

 see the thing done, and I never heard of but one instance. H. S. 

 Collins of Collinsville, Conn.', uses these words : " Ordinarily we 

 do not use enough grass seed. Often not over one-half the ground 

 is occupied. I once put on too much seed. The land was very 

 rich, and I used Timothy alone. It grew exceedingly fine, and 

 lodged badly every year before it was ready to cut. I cannot tell 

 how much seed per acre was used." 



This is the only instance to which my attention has ever been 

 called, and I doubt the conclusion in this instance ; but I do not 

 doubt that he applied too much herds-grass seed. Probably there 

 were not herds-grass elements enough in the soil to support the 

 amount of seed that germinated, but at the same time there were 

 elements in the soil lying dormant that would have supported 

 several other varieties. If then he had sown the same amount of 

 seed, with only one-fourth of it herds-grass and the remaining three- 

 fourths of three other varieties, the presumption is, there would 

 have been more hay, of a better quality, and it would all have 

 stood upright. 



As I said before, we must take things as we find them, but we 

 are not always obliged to use them before wo make some improve- 

 ment ; and we find much of our soil too wet for either herds-grass 

 or clover to grow successfully. In such cases I would first under- 

 drain, and then, if I must, sow herds-grass and red clover, because 

 it is the fashion. I would add red-top, because it is better adapted 



