136 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



These mixtures are given as examples of what may be 

 called the best practice among English farmers ; and they 

 show that much better selections are made than is common 

 with us. 



As to the time of sowing grass-seed, a very considerable 

 change has taken place in the general practice in the last 

 quarter of a century; and, upon the whole, there has, un- 

 doubtedly, been a very great improvement arising from it. 

 Within the memory of many still living, the practice of 

 spring sowing was almost universal. It resulted in far 

 greater losses than we usually sustain now. For though 

 there is, perhaps, no season when it can be absolutely safe 

 from harm, we know enough of the seasons to know, that, 

 in a series of years, we are more liable to injury from 

 drought than from winter-killing. One year differs from 

 another to such an extent, that we run some risk, at what- 

 ever season the sowing takes place. If any time can be 

 called the best, we should say, as a general rule, it is from 

 the middle of August to the middle of September; the 

 exact time depending somewhat upon the moisture in the 

 soil. If the month of August were excessively dry, we 

 should wait till early in September ; but if we could not sow, 

 for any reason, till after the middle of September, we should 

 prefer to wait till the middle of November, or just before 

 the ground closes for the winter. In a large majority of 

 cases, this late sowing will be successful, as the seed will 

 not germinate so as to be injured by the winter, and will 

 start earlier in spring than it would be possible to work the 

 land properly to sow it in the spring. 



Still there are many cases, where, from the natural moist- 

 ure of the land, or for some other reason, it is more conven- 

 ient to sow in the spring. In such cases, to insure success, 

 the land must be liberally manured (unless it is naturally 

 very rich) in order to give the seed a rapid start and a luxu- 

 riant growth, or the weeds will come in, and choke out the 

 grass, and do great injury, if they do not absolutely destroy 

 the crop. It is not safe, as a general rule, to sow in the spring 

 without this manuring. Without it, the young plants will 

 start, and grow too slowly to keep down the weeds, and to 

 fill up so as to shade the ground, and withstand the dry and 

 hot weather. A close, thick growth that results from liberal 



