GRASS SEEDS. 219 



nre, or in a field of seedling grasses may to general 

 observ^ation, appear insignificant or escape observa- 

 tion altogether, but if these apparently minute de- 

 ficiencies which occur over the surface of an acre 

 be calculated, a difference perhaps of from ten to fif- 

 teen per cent in the produce Avill be found to exist 

 between a perfectly furnished surface of land, and 

 one where the deficiencies of plants are so minute as 

 scarcely to be perceived. 



In the most productive natural pastures no de 

 ficiencies of plants are to to be found, every part of 

 the surface is closely interwoven with plants and net 

 as in pastures artificially formed, of one or two 

 species of grass only, where the surface is merely 

 shaded or covered by the foliage of the comparative 

 thinly growing plants. 



As already stated in the preceeding chapter, a 

 rough, uneven surface will require a much greater 

 quantity of seed than land with a dry, finely pulver- 

 ized, smooth consolidated surface. 



If the surface is wet at th.e time of sowing, a great- 

 er quantity of seed will be required than otherwise 

 would be neccesary. 



The seeds of most of the essential permanent past- 

 ure grasses are so small and light as to be readily 

 taken up in clumps by the harrow or roller passing 

 over a damp surface. It has been ascertained by carefu 

 experiments made by George Sinclair, that the small 

 er the number of different species of grasses that are 

 combined together in a pasture, the greater is the de- 

 ficiency of plants on any given space of land; this 

 is an important fact to be considered in coming to 

 a just conclusion respecting the proper quantity of 

 grass seeds which should be sown on a given space 



