SECRETARY'S REPORT. 145 



Closely connected with the influence of the seasons is the 



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TIME FOR SOWING GRASS SEED. 



More than sixty years ago careful experiments were made in 

 this State, in the hope of obtaining such information as would 

 settle the question as to the best time of sowing grass seed, and 

 the practice of seeding down in the fall was then commenced 

 by a few individuals. At and before that time, the practice of 

 sowing in the spring was universal, and the same custom has 

 very generally prevailed till within a very few years. Both the 

 practice and the opinion of the best practical farmers among us 

 have changed to a considerable extent, and it is now commonly 

 thought best to sow grass seed in the fall, early in Septem- 

 ber, if possible, mixing no grain or any thing else with it, 

 though there are, and always will be, some cases where the 

 practice of sowing in the spring with grain is convenient and 

 judicious. There can be no doubt that it is, in most cases, an 

 injury to both crops to sow them together. The following state- 

 ment of an experienced and .successful farmer will enable us to 

 comprehend how the change was brought about, though others 

 had tried the same experiment long before him. " More than 

 twenty years ago we had several dry summers, in the springs 

 of which I had sown grass seed with rye, barley and sometimes 

 wheat and lost most of my seed by the drought. I could 

 scrape it up, the plants- being dead and dry, when small. 

 Since that time I have universally ploughed, after haying and 

 sowed Timothy grass and redtop." 



Other farmers probably experienced the same difficulty and 

 came to the same conclusion. Our seasons differ greatly to be 

 sure, but it is now well understood that we must calculate on a 

 drought in some part of the summer, and grass will suffer more 

 from drought than from frost. Hence the propriety of fall 

 sowing. There are some localities, undoubtedly, where spring 

 sowing with grain is best, on the whole, as in the south-eastern 

 sections of the State, along the coast, where on account of the 

 proximity of the sea, the ground is often but slightly covered 

 and protected with snow ; yet even there, some farmers say it 

 is better to seed in August and September. Few general rules 



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