588 Grasses and Leguminous Crops in New York 



fertilizing 



Nothing does more to insure a crop after thorough fitting than 

 a dressing of stable manure. Six or seven tons an acre, applied 

 with a spreader, will do wonders. With this, I use 350 pounds 

 an acre of a fertilizer made up of nine parts of acid phosphate to 

 one of muriate of potash. For the past two years, the latter has 

 been unobtainable, and the acid phosphate has had to suffice. 

 Manure is not always available, of course, and, this failing, I 

 havG found the following mixture to serve well : 500 pounds of 

 nitrate of soda, 500' of high-grade tankage, 800 of acid phosphate, 

 and, when obtainable, 200 pounds of muriate of potash — applied 

 at the rate of 500 pounds to each acre. One thousand pounds of 

 burned lime or 2,000 pounds of ground limestone to the acre has 

 always given marked results, even with timothy. I can stand on 

 my lawn today and look over a field a quarter of a mile away and 

 see in the stubble where the lime stopped, as plainly as though 

 a line had been drawn across the field. The lime should be applied 

 immediately after plowing, and should be thoroughly incorporated 

 with the soil. 



SEEDING 



Seeding should be done the last week in August or the first in 

 September. I have had a splendid stand from seed put in as 

 late as September 20 when conditions were favorable, but ordi- 

 narily this is too late. Much depends on the rainfall and the 

 condition of the soil. Certain it is that it is unwise to seed until 

 the land has been compacted and the surface made fine; this 

 is vital in a dry season. I have had but two failures in fifteen 

 years ; both of these occurred when the seed was sowed before the 

 land was made firm. 



I use fourteen quarts of the best timothy and two of recleaned 

 redtop. The latter amount will not harm the quality of the hay 

 — more will — and will materially increase the yield to the acre. 

 This is thick seeding, but my object is to have every inch of 

 ground covered by a grass plant, thus preventing, to a great 

 extent, the growth of weeds. My heaviest yields of hay have been 

 from a thick stand on the bottom, rather than from tall grass not 

 so close. I have sowed about two quarts of alsike at time of seed- 

 ing, or in the spring; at both times it has given good results. 



