Grass 



feeders, and ryegrass, cocksfoot, meadow-fescue, and 

 timothy are very deep-rooted. 4 A good pasture must 

 have all these varieties. 



V. Some grasses develop quickly and die out alto- 

 gether in two or three years. Others take some time to 

 mature, but will remain for a very long time when once 

 established. This complicates the question, for the 

 mixture must contain both temporary grasses to afford 

 a crop during the first two or three years and the others 

 as well. 



VI. Germination and good Seed. — The percentage of 

 seeds which germinate is not always the same ; it is 

 only 80 per cent, for golden oat grass and sweet vernal, 

 85 per cent, for smooth-stalked poa but 97 per cent, 

 for rough-stalked, and 98 per cent, for timothy and 

 Italian ryegrass. Still greater differences are probably 

 due to the particular seed used, for selected and well- 

 nourished seeds will produce a far finer crop than a 

 miscellaneous sample. 



VII. Perhaps the most important point of all is to 

 thoroughly realise the different partialities and pre- 

 ferences of the grasses themselves. Some prefer a dryish 

 soil of a sandy or stony character, others like a moist, 

 damp, low-lying alluvial meadow. Some, usually the 

 worst, grow anywhere, and do not mind whether the 

 soil is good or bad. The difficulty of discovering these 

 individual preferences is very great. In a general way 

 the tall and richly productive grasses prefer and do best 

 in good soil, while the less valuable kinds, like sheep's 

 fescue, thrive on poor and stony ground. 



VIII. Finally, there is perhaps the most important 

 point of all, the price of the different grass seeds. These 

 are sold by the pound. But the number of seeds in a 

 pound varies enormously. Suppose one wants meadow 

 fescue and notices the price to be yd. a pound. This 



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