CH. xi] Sowing of Seeds 181 



August, but sowing may be done at any time between March and 

 September when weather conditions are favourable. Sowings 

 made in May or June are very risky as a dry summer is almost 

 sure to be fatal to the seedlings either on a light or heavy soil. 

 Late summer or early autumn is generally the best time upon 

 heavy soil because such land can be got into a good condition 

 as regards tilth, etc. by previous summer cultivation. On lighter 

 soils a good tilth can be secured early enough in the spring. 



Although young grass plants grow more rapidly when sown 

 alone, it is usually safer to sow a thin seeding of some annual 

 crop, generally a cereal, to protect the young grass and the soil 

 from the effects of drought. This "cover" or "nurse" crop 

 must be a thin one and the land should receive liberal manurial 

 treatment. A sowing of two bushels of oats per acre, the crop 

 to be cut green just after flowering, affords all the advantages of 

 a cover crop and also provides a return of useful fodder the same 

 year. Vetches or rape also serve as good "nurse" crops. 



Immediate after-management. After harvesting the cover crop 

 the young grass may be thoroughly rolled with advantage. If a 

 cover crop has not been sown and the grass is well forward a little 

 light grazing may be done by cattle towards the end of the first 

 season. It is however better practice generally to cut the first 

 year's crop. None of the plants should be allowed to form seed, 

 and at this stage every effort should be made to enrich the soil 

 and to cause the plants to spread. The importance of liberal 

 manurial treatment during the early years in the life of a pasture 

 cannot be over-emphasized. This early attention will be amply 

 repaid by the more rapid formation of a thick turf. 



General after-management. 



In this connection it is advisable to distinguish more clearly 

 between pasture and meadow land. By meadow land should be 

 understood land from which hay crops are taken each year, and 

 grazing only practised on the aftermath. The term is however 

 very loosely used for grass land whether reserved for hay every 

 season or only occasionally. By the best practical farmers it is 

 generally considered best to reserve some fields for mowing 

 annually, while others are continuously grazed. The practice of 

 grazing and mowing in alternate seasons is not a sound one and 



