194 NORTHEAST EXPERIMENT FARM. 
prevents grass from getting a start. Sometimes this may be 
destroyed by burning, but with the risk of doing damage 
both to soil and surrounding timber—of which risk the oper- 
ator must be the judge. If the brush is thick and cannot be 
burned it must be mowed, preferably in June, or pastured off 
with sheep or goats, before a stand of grass can be secured. 
On lighter, sandier soils, badly burned, and easily cleaned 
up of trash, grass may be sown broadcast. The stand will 
depend on the poverty of the soil, the amount of damage 
done in the burning, and the dryness of the season—and on 
such soils, will not generally be very successful. 
Preparation of the soil increases the prospect of a good 
stand of grass,in proportion to itsthoroughness. On rough 
stumpy ground, scratching with a V shaped spike tooth 
drag, or with a spring tooth, helps to tear up the surface 
and gives the grass achance to get a foothold. Thorough 
pasturing by sheep, followed by suchdragging produces still 
better results. But in general it is not well to expect too 
much with too little effort, and permanent grass land can- 
not be hoped for until the soil is broken and subdued. 
Such seeding should be done in the spring, and as early 
as possible, preferably before the frost is all out, if the soil 
can be worked up on the surface. The kinds of grass most 
adapted to such seeding will be considered after a discussion 
of the results obtained on the farm in testing grasses. 
The third and ultimate source of grass must be the rais- 
ing of tame hay, on improved land, and consists in seeding 
down land that has been broken and has raised a few crops 
as potatoes, cornfodder or oats. By this means the soil is 
worked up, all brushand wild plants killed out, itis improved 
in surface drainage, is more level, and will be in condition to 
devote its entire growing energy to the grass. In return the 
grass roots fill the soil with astore of decaying fibers or 
humus. 
The comparative value of different grasses can best be 
noted under these conditions, when they ean reach their best 
productiveness. Soil and moisture conditions influence yields 
very greatly, and the character of the season as to distribu- 
tion of rainfall sometimes reduces the crop one-half or 
doubles it. 
