SECRETARY'S REPORT. 149 



"hide-bound" and worn out, producing but a light crop of 

 grass, was very much benefited by being turned over in Sep- 

 tember and having a dressing of compost harrowed in, grass 

 seed being then sown alone. The crop even of the next year 

 was much greater than that of previous years and nearly paid 

 for the labor of ploughing and seeding by its increase. 



No rule in regard to the time of seeding down land, which 

 should be found to work best in one latitude, would necessarily 

 apply in. a different climate, and under different circumstances. 



After having determined upon the time of sowing, the next 

 question in the farmer's mind is as to the 



SELECTION OF SEED. 



In general, too little attention is paid to the selection of 

 seeds, not only of the grasses, but of other cultivated plants. 

 The farmer cannot be sure that he has good seed unless he 

 raises it for himself or uses that raised in his neighborhood. 

 He too often takes that which has passed through several hands, 

 and whose origin he cannot trace. Bad or old seed may thus 

 be bought, in the belief that it is good and new, and the seller 

 himself may not know any thing to the contrary. The buyer, 

 in such cases, often introduces weeds which are very difficult to 

 eradicate. The temptation to mix seeds left over from previous 

 years with newer seed, is very great, and there can be no doubt 

 that it is often done on a large scale. In such cases the buyer 

 has no remedy. Ho cainiot return the worthless article, and 

 the repayment of the purchase money, even if he could enforce 

 it, would be but poor compensation for the loss of a crop. The 

 seeds of some plants retain their vitality much longer than 

 others. Those of the turnip, for instance, will germinate as 

 well, or nearly as well, at the age of four or five years as when 

 only one or two years old. But the seeds of most of the 

 grasses are of very little value when they have been kept two 

 or three years, and hence the importance of procuring new and 

 fresh seeds, and guarding against any mixture of the old and 

 worthless with the new, as carefully as possible. 



It is easy to tell whether the germinative power of grass or 

 any other seed still remains, by the following simple method. 



