SEEDING MEADOWS 265 



method farther north is that the clover is very likely to kill 

 out during the winter if not sown till late in the season. In 

 the South, fall seeding of grasses is usually to be prefen'ed. 



338. Sowing with or without a Nurse Crop. While the 

 plan of sowing grass seed with a grain crop is a very common 

 one, the results which are obtained do not always justify 

 its use. Instead of being a protection to the young plants, 

 the grain crop is quite often the reverse, taking moisture from 

 the soil when it is most needed. When the grain crop is 

 removed, the young and tender plants which have previously 

 been shaded are exposed to the full effect of the sun and wind 

 and may be killed by a few hot days immediately following 

 the harvesting of the grain. Little or no forage is usually 

 produced by the new meadow the first fall after spring seeding 

 and the hay crop produced the following year from August 

 seeding is often fully as good as, if not better than, that pro- 

 duced from seed sown the previous spring with a nurse crop. 

 With alfalfa and some other crops a nurse crop is seldom used. 



339. Manner of Seeding. Grass seed may be sown 

 broadcast by hand, with any of the ordinaiy broadcast 

 seeders, or with a special attachment to the grain drill. The 

 machine which is perhaps most generally satisfactory for 

 this work is the wheelbarrow seeder. This gives an even 

 distribution of the seed over the entire area, something which 

 is not always easily obtained with most types of broadcast 

 seeders. When sown with any of the broadcast seeders, it 

 is customary to cover the seed by a light harrowing. The 

 spike-tooth harrow is generallj^ used for this work, though a 

 brush harrow is sometimes employed. When clover is sown 

 on winter wheat in the spring, it is not usually covered at 

 all, the alternate thawing and freezing of the soil and the 

 beating of the spring rains being depended on to cover the 

 seed sufficiently for germination. Care should be taken 

 that the seed is not covered too deep when sown with the 

 grain drill. 



