TIMOTHY. 59 



sufficiently to secure a fine condition of tilth on tlie sur- 

 face. The more nearly the condition of the pulveriza- 

 tion secured resembles that of a garden prepared for 

 the seed the better. To secure this may involve the per- 

 sistent use of the harrow and roller, but labor thus ex- 

 pended will ordinarily be well repaid in the better stand 

 of timothy that will follow. But to this rule there may 

 be some exceptions. For instance, when timothy is 

 sown in the autumn on stiff clays, and in areas subject 

 to beating autumn or winter rains, when the pulveriza- 

 tion is fine beyond a certain degree, the soil ''runs to- 

 gether ;'^ that is, the fine particles in it adhere so closely 

 that in some instances it becomes encrusted — a con- 

 dition adverse to every form of plant growth. When 

 timothy is sown alone, as it sometimes is in the early 

 autumn, the ground may in many instances be prepared 

 by simply using the disk, the harrow and the roller. 

 Such preparation will usually suffice when the surface 

 of the soil is at least reasonably free from weeds. Such 

 a condition is frequently met with on soils from w^hich a 

 heavy «rop of peas or vetches have been harvested or 

 from which a cultivated crop as j)otatoes, have been re- 

 moved. But if the soil sustains weed growth in any 

 marked degree then it ought to be ploughed if possible a 

 considerable time before the seed is sown, and pulverized 

 by suitable cultivation. On soils that are liable to lift 

 with the wind, it would probably be better to sow the 

 seed amid the grain stubbles in the early autumn and 

 cover with the harrow. The stubbles will so far hinder 

 the winds from lifting the soil, and will also furnish pro- 

 tection to the young plants in the winter season. 



