122 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



in the season. A few severe frosts assist materially in securing a 

 mellow surface or seed bed. A few days prior to planting the field 

 can be worked down thoroughly with a disk harrow, and later, may 

 be brought into level form with a smoothing harrow. In latitudes 

 as far north as central Oklahoma Bermuda grass does not produce 

 very much pasture after the middle of November, and the plants 

 lie dormant during the winter months. The new growth starts as 

 early as March 15, and if the spring is open, some pasture may be 

 secured from the field during the latter part of April. Bermuda 

 grass makes its best growth during the warm summer weather, 

 and, for this reason, it is not advisable to plant roots much before 

 the first of May. We prefer to do this work in May, at which time 

 the soil is usually moist; hence the roots commence to grow and 

 spread as soon as they are placed in the soil. We have already- 

 stated that it is not advisable to use seed. The planting season, 

 then, opens about the first of May and the work may be continued 

 throughout M!ay and June. Fairly satisfactory sets have been ob- 

 tained in cases where the roots were planted as late as July 15. 

 The later plantings are not as desirable as the earlier plantings, 

 for the reason that the dry summer weather checks the root in its 

 growth, and a dense turf cannot be produced during the latter part 

 of the season unless the weather is ideal." 



Method of Planting. "After the soil has been cultivated thor- 

 oughly it may be marked off in rows 30" to 36" apart and small 

 pieces of Bermuda roots may be dropped at intervals of 18" in 

 the shallow furrows or rows. A corn-marker or a cultivator with 

 two heavy shovels set at the proper distance may be used to open 

 the furrows. The roots should be covered with a small quantity 

 of earth. It is not a difficult matter to provide this covering either 

 by using a hoe, or by moving the earth with the foot as the roots 

 are dropped. If the seed bed is loose and will permit the rapid 

 escape of soil moisture, this condition may be changed by using 

 a roller on the field. Some growers make a practice of harrow- 

 ing after the sods have been planted, but this operation has a ten- 

 dency to bring many of the roots to the surface; hence they fail 

 to grow. Others prefer to scatter the roots broadcast and disk 

 them in ; however, this method has not given as satisfactory results 

 as the first plan. Bermuda plants produced from seed have in 

 some cases made a fair showing the first season, but many lack 

 vigor and severe frosts will destroy the major portion of them." 



