SOWING SEED. ETC. 866 



had for six or eight years produced only the finer grasses and one 

 clover, consisting for a time mainly of June grass, Rhode Island 

 bent grass, perennial rye grass, and white clover. It was mowed 

 often and not allowed to produce flowers or seeds. After a few 

 years the rye grass gradually disappeared, the other plants 

 occupying its place. A year or two later some j^lats of grasses 

 were established just west of this lawn. In a little while, through 

 the help of the wind, other seeds were sown and inroads were 

 made on this close lawn. Several of the larger fescues, orchard 

 grass, quack grass, inid a few others of less note appeared. These 

 are rather on the increase, and with a liberal seeding I have no 

 doubt they would soon be still more j)rominent. Doubtless this 

 result would not always follow, as very much depends on the soil 

 and climate. This suggests that by sowing seeds of better grasses 

 improvements might often be made in our permanent grass lands. 

 Concerning the advisability of attempting to introduce " tame 

 grasses '' by sowing the -seeds on prairie sod. Prof. E. M. Shelton, 

 of Central Kansas, makes the following remarks: ''But, what- 

 ever may be the character of the soil, prepare the land as well 

 and thoroughly, by j^lowing and harrowing, as for any grain crop. 

 This is a rule with scarcely an exception ; and its violation in 

 various ways exj^lains a large proportion of the failures that have 

 attended the cultivation of tame grasses in Kansas. The ques- 

 tion is asked us many times every year : Why may I not scatter 

 the seed upon the sod, as is often done in the East? This is 

 often done^ but the practice, so far as our observation has gone,, 

 has resulted in almost uniform failure. Where the prairie sod 

 has been largely destroyed by the tramping of cattle, we have 

 known blue grass to succeed partially by tliis method; but, even 

 in this case, a better sod would have been obtained in less time 

 by thoroughly subduing the land, by two or three years of crop- 

 ping, before applying tlie grass seed. As before stated, in the 

 eastern counties of the State, this practice is successfully fol- 



