178 GRASSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



the grass. This means tliat as a rule the pulverization 

 should be fine; but in certain soils and under certain 

 climatic conditions, it is not desirable to have the ground 

 pulverized very finely when the seed is sov^n in the 

 fall. This is true of clays north or south. On soils 

 that drift it is better to sow on a rough surface if the 

 seed is to be covered with the harrow to bury it more 

 deeply and also to have it rough to prevent blowing. 

 When the seed is sown just before the advent of Avinter, 

 which, in northerly latitudes w^ould seem to be a good 

 season for sowing, under certain conditions it has been 

 recommended to sow on land ploughed but harrowed only 

 slightly or not at all. When thus sown the gi'ound may 

 be smoothed with the harrow, when the plants have be- 

 come so firmly rooted that the harrow will not pull them 

 out. 



When sowing Russian brome grass on the open range, 

 for the purpose of supplanting the grasses which may 

 grow there, the land is first disked in some instances, 

 especially when the sod is at all dense. In other in- 

 stances, where the native grass plants do not completely 

 cover the ground, the seed is sown without any prepara- 

 tion having been given to the land. It is not certain, 

 however, that the best method or methods of thus super- 

 seding the grasses of the prairie have yet been ascer- 

 tained. 



Deep ploughing has been recommended in certain 

 areas, when preparing the land ; but ordinarily this would 

 not seem to be necessary, unless where such tillage was 

 practiced to insure soil moisture. The roots of Russian 

 brome grass have much power to push through the soil 



