262 FIELD CROPS 



to the yield and palatability of the hay crop. The yield is 

 increased, because the roots of the different plants penetrate 

 to varying depths, so that more food material is available for 

 all than for any one. At the same time, the portions above 

 ground grow to different heights, so that they have more 

 space to spread when in a mixture than when growing alone. 

 •The palatability of the product is increased, for animals like 

 variety in their food. Care should be taken in selecting 

 the different plants to make up the mixture so that all will 

 be ready to cut for hay at the same time. Red clover and 

 timothy do not make the best mixture, as red clover is ready 

 to cut earlier than timothy, and, if left till the timothy is 

 ready, the clover stems become woody and many of the 

 leaves drop off. Mammoth clover, which is later than red 

 clover, is much better in a mixture with timothy. 



334. Preparing the Land. The desirability of a well- 

 prepared seed bed has already been stated. The method of 

 preparing this seed bed varies with the soil, the locaUty, the 

 season, and the preceding crop. A heavy soil usually requires 

 more work to get it into good tilth for seeding than a loose, 

 sandy one. Fertilization, either with barnj^ard manure or 

 commercial fertilizers, may be necessary before seeding on 

 the poorer lands of the South. If the land was plowed and 

 put in good condition for the crop immediately preceding, 

 some of this work may be omitted before sowing to grass. 



The usual practice in the North Atlantic and North 

 Central states, where most of the tame grass meadows are 

 located, is to sow the grass seed with some grain crop. This 

 may be winter wheat in the region where that crop is grown, 

 or it may be spring wheat, oats, or barley. More attention 

 than usual should be devoted to the preparation of the land 

 when grasses are to be sown with these grains, particularly 

 in the way of fining the surface soil before the seed is sown. 

 When the grasses are to be sown with winter wheat, the land 

 should be plowed some weeks previous to seeding time and 



