220 GRASS SEEDS. 



of ground SO as to furnisli tlie surface of it at once- 

 with the just sufficiency of plants. 



When an excess of grass seeds is sown, the seeds 

 in general all vegetate, but the plants make little if 

 any progress until, from the want of nourishment to 

 the roots and the contined space for the growth of 

 the foliage, a certain number decay and give the re- 

 quisite room to the proper number of plants, and 

 that will be according as there are a greater or less 

 variety of different species combined in the sward. 



Having ascertained the number of grass seed con- 

 tained in a given measure or weight of such seed and 

 comparing these with the number of square feet or 

 inches on the surface of an acre of ground the re- 

 sults will shov/ the degree of closeness in which the 

 plants or grasses will stand from the use of any 

 given measure or weight of seed. 



According to calculations made by George Sinclair 

 with the seeds of most of the above grasses and plants 

 mixed in the different proportions, before stated, he 

 ascertained that one bushel of such mixtures of seeds 

 sown on an acre of land would afford but two seeds to 

 every square inch, while the most productive natural 

 pastures examined by him had seven plants to every 

 square inch. 



Assuming that this statement is in the main cor- 

 rect, it would take at least three bushels of the mix- 

 ture to seed an acre of land vvdthout a grain crop. 

 Approximating this seeding, I will give it a more 

 comprehensive and practical form, bj^ gi"v^iiig the 

 number of pounds of the seed of each grass required 

 per acre, viz. : 



LBS. 



Orchard Grass (Dactylis Glomerata) 6 



