138 GRASSES AND FORAGE PLANTS. 



are of universal application in agriculture, and the farmer 

 must constantly exercise sound judgment and common sense. 

 One practical farmer of E^sex, in answer to the circular, says : 

 " I prefer August, because I think it less liable to winter-kill 

 than summer-kill. And another greater reason is, that in fall 

 seeding I get rid of a crop of weeds, while in spring seeding 

 my ground is seeded with them." An experienced farmer of 

 Hampshire county, writes : " I rather prefer the last week in 

 August for seeding down land. The reason is, that we fre- 

 quently have a summer drought which kills out the young 

 grass." One of the best farmers of Middlesex, says: " When 

 sown alone I prefer from the 20th of August to the 20th of 

 September. If sown sooner, the summer droughts are apt to 

 injure the young blades ; if later, they do not have a chance to 

 expand and arrive at that degree of maturity necessary for a 

 good crop the ensuing season." He says, also, that if in any 

 case it is found necessary to sow witli grain, it should be in the 

 spring and not in the fall. An experienced practical farmer of 

 Essex county, recommends " The latter part of August and 

 the month of September for seeding down land to grass for 

 mowing, unless that season should be very dry ; in th.at case, 

 sow so soon after a. rain as may be. I do not think it advisable 

 to sow grass seed when the eartli is very dry, as some of it may, 

 by the moisture brought up in preparing the land, sprout, but 

 not having continued moisture to support it, will wither away, 

 while some of the lighter seeds will, perhaps, swell by moisture, 

 but fail to sprout for a lack of nourishment, and consequently 

 perish, while others will be blown away by the winds. The 

 plant from seed sown in August or September, if the season is 

 moist, will take deep root and be prepared to withstand the 

 changes of winter. Grass seed soAvn witli grain in the spring 

 is liable to be killed in the hot days of July and August, about 

 the time of cutting the grain, particularly on light, sandy or 

 gravelly lands. Clover should be sown in the spring as soon 

 as convenient after the frost is out of the ground, on land 

 seeded down the preceding autumn, probably, rather than 

 sooner, in the autumn, as the winter is often too severe for the 

 tender roots." 



A farmer of Worcester county, says : "On moist land I pre- 

 fer to turn over the green sward after haying, with a Michigan 



