128 GRASSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



fortunate for southern agriculture *that the plants do 

 not bear seed freely. 



Renewing. — Bermuda grass^ like quack grass, be- 

 comes sod bound after a few seasons of pasturing or 

 mowing, hence where practicable it is recommended to 

 break it up by ploughing and smoothing the ground 

 quite soon thereafter Avith tlic harrow ; ploughing it thus 

 loosens and aerates the soil, breaks up the matted roots 

 and brings new life to the plants. The frequency with 

 which this ought to be done, the best season for doing it, 

 and the exact mode of doing the work will depend upon 

 conditions such as relate to climate, soil and the dense- 

 ness of the sod. Usually it is recommended thus to 

 break up the sod with the plough every 4 or 5 years. 

 L Northward the work should not be undertaken just on 

 the approach of winter, lest too many of the plants 

 should perish. Far south it might be desirable to have 

 many of them perish to thin them. The depth of the 

 ploughing should be gauged by the character of the soil, 

 but it ought always to be as deep as experience has 

 demonstrated that it can be done with safety to the 

 plants. The more dense the sod, the less the danger of 

 destroying too many of the plants by deep ploughing 

 and harsh treatment. 



But even under conditions where Bermuda grass 

 cannot be thus dealt with, it Avill continue to produce 

 well for many years, as has been demonstrated on free 

 grazing lands in proximity to the cities. 



The renewal of this grass is sometimes effected by 

 ph)ugliing the land in Se])tember or October and sow- 

 ing it with red clover, winter oats or the sand vetch 



