MEADOW FOXTAIL. 229 



The seed is very light, weighing only five pounds 

 to the bushel when sown in the chaff in which form it is 

 usually sown, consequently it can only be sown by hand. 

 When sown in permanent mixtures the seed is of course 

 mingled with the seeds of at least such of the other 

 grasses in the mixture as call for hand sowing. 



When sown alone for meadow or for seed, it is prob- 

 ably better to sow it with than without a nurse crop, but 

 the latter must not be of a character to form a dense 

 shade. This can be regulated when sowing with any of 

 the small cereal grains by sowing them more or less 

 thinly according to the kind of the grain. If the seed 

 is sown without a nurse crop much attention should be 

 given to keeping weeds so cut back that they will not 

 crowd the grass nor mature seeds. 



When sown alone authorities claim that not less than 

 3 bushels per acre should be used when sown in the 

 chaff. If the seed was of the best this would seem to 

 be an excessive quantity, as according to Flint, an ounce 

 contains Y6,000 seeds, but for various reasons it is not 

 easy to secure good, reliable, pure and fresh seed, hence 

 under ordinary conditions it may be well to sow the 

 quantity named. As with timothy the plants do not 

 thicken when once set, hence, liberal sowing at the first 

 is a necessity. When sown to provide permanent pas- 

 ture the amount of seed to use will vary with the prom- 

 inence to be given to this gi-ass in the pasture. As the 

 plants are feeble when young and therefore much liable 

 to be overshadowed by those that are more vigorous a 

 liberal use of seed would be advisable in permanent pas- 

 tures. It should not be necessary, however, to sow more 



