66o Journal of Agriculture. [lo Nov., 1908. 



2. As against the suggestion that protection is afforded by the cover 

 crop, they contend that when the crop has been harvested the slender 

 young stubble plants that have hitherto been shaded and robbed of their 

 food, and thereby weakened, are unable to bear up under the hot dry 

 summer weather. 



3. P'rom the time of sowing till the cover crop is harvested nothing 

 can be done to encourage the young grass to stool well and become robust. 



To summarize, it would seem that from a scientific stand-point, valid 

 reasons can be urged in support of both views, but it is now an established 

 practical fact that, given suitable conditions of soil and climate, equally 

 good swards can be provided under the shelter of a grain crop as without 

 it ; in fact, on the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand, grass paddocks 

 are successfully laid down with such crops as turnips, swedes, rape and 

 kale, all of which are fed down in the paddock with sheep and cattle. 

 Such practices cannot be at present advocated in Victoria; indeed, at 

 this juncture, I am unable to say that the institution of any form of 

 nurse crop is not attended with a certain amount of risk, and, therefore, 

 I am not disposed to advise their introduction, except in the case of land 

 which is verv difficult to clean ; and in that case a light seeding of wheat 

 or oats will have the effect of checking the weeds, and if cut for green feed 

 or hay, it will not seriously affect the prospects of the young pasture. 



Method of Sowing and Covering. — This operation is of the utmost 

 importance, as on it depends the net return to be derived from the expen- 

 diture of time, money, and labour in the selection of good seed, and the 

 careful preparation of the firm tilthy seed bed. Unless the work is con- 

 scientiously carried out an uneven germination must result, and the field 

 will remain patchy as long as it carries grass. Immediately prior to 

 sowing the surface should be harrowed, and if need be, rolled and 

 harrowed. 



Several methods are adopted for the actual sowing of the seed. Some 

 still favour the old system of hand sowing, and with skilful hands at work 

 under suitable weather conditions very fair results can be obtained; how- 

 ever, other methods more economical in regard to seed are now in use. In 

 my opinion the long seed barrow is about the best implement available. It 

 gets over the ground very rapidly, drops the seed close to the ground and 

 gives a far more regular distribution than can be secured by hand scatter- 

 ing. Some seeds, however, are so light and chaffy that they do not feed 

 evenly through the mechanical seeders, and consequently they are best sown 

 by hand ; the same argument holds in respect of heavily awned seeds, such 

 as tall oat grass. A calm still da-y should be selected, and in order to 

 insure a good even strike it is good practice to adopt the system of double 

 seeding. Divide the seed into two halves ; sow one part first and then cast 

 the remainder crosswise. The same system should apply whether the seed 

 be sown by hand, seed barrow, mechanical broadcaster, or the ordinary 

 seed drills. 



It is unwise to mix together grass and clover seeds, or even very large 

 and very small grass seeds, as the heavier ones, in obedience to the law ot 

 gravitation, feed earlier than the others, and so defeat the object in view. 

 Similarly, awned seeds are best sown separately, as they are difficult to mix 

 thoroughly, and it is a tedious matter trying to make them feed regularly 

 through the machine. A good way is to sow the grass and clover seeds 

 separately and at right angles to one another. If, however, this is not 

 possible, and the complete mixture has to be applied at one operation, 

 only a small quantity of seed should be put in the hopper at one time. 



