276 DEMAND SOON SUPPLIED. 



proportionally small. Sinclair, too, who bad observed 

 carefully and extensively, writes on this point, in regard 

 to the practice of over-seeding, as follows : " When an 

 excess of grass-seed is sown, the seeds, in general, all 

 vegetate ; but the plants make little, if any progress, 

 until, from the want of nourishment to the roots, and 

 the confined space for the growth of the foliage, a cer- 

 tain number decay, and give the requisite room to the 

 proper number of plants ; and that will be according as 

 there are a greater or less variety of different species 

 of grasses combined in the sward." 



It is proper to make some allowance for bad seed, it 

 is true ; but our practice throughout the country is 

 defective and uneconomical. In the examination of the 

 rich and productive pasture turf, from twelve to twenty 

 species were found closely mixed together, and there 

 were six or seven plants to the square inch. We sow 

 seed enough, frequently, for fifteen plants to the inch, 

 but rarely obtain above two or three, and generally 

 even less than that, owing to the limited number of 

 species. 



The difficulty of procuring the seed, and its expense, 

 have been the strongest objections to the use of many 

 species. A demand for these species, however, would 

 soon remove this difficulty, and varieties would be kept 

 for sale in every seed-store in the country, and at a 

 reasonable price. When it is considered that the addi- 

 tional expense of sowing a field or permanent pasture 

 with a greater number of species will be, comparatively, 

 very small, while the additional yield will be propor- 

 tionally large, if the result is as favorable as the 

 opinion of many who have made the trial would lead us 

 to expect, every farmer must admit that it is for his 

 interest to try the experiment on a small scale, at least. 



It will be evident, after a moment's reflection, that 



