GRASSE3. 193 



have said it should be as much like grass as possible, and, 

 therefore, should not lie out until the juices are all dried out 

 of it. 



Do not mow when the grass is very wet, either with dew or 

 rain. If cut with the scythe, turn twice, if with a machine, 

 once will be sufficient after the top has Wilted ; after two hours' 

 hot sun on the other side, cock it, haul it before the dew begins 

 to fall, or after the dew is dried off' in the morning, and store it 

 in well ventilated mows. This is the great trouble with hay 

 barns, no ventilation. See Chapter XIX. If properly ventilated, 

 hay may be put in quite green, and be relished like grass all 

 winter. A peck of salt to the ton is always an improvement, 

 and green hay is safer from heating when salt or lime is 

 sprinkled in at the time of mowing away. 



Hay that has been wet, and, therefore, cured twice, should 

 always be kept by itself. 



Seedin'g Wet Prairie. Either harrow as soon as the frost 

 is out two inches deep, sow the seed and cross harrow ; or pas 

 ture until it is dry enough to plow. Plow across, the way you 

 wish, the surface drainage, and harrow the same way ; sow the 

 seed, cover with a brush, harrow and roll it. 



As we have intimated, we believe in frequent seeding, and in 

 a much larger variety of seeds than is usually sown. An Iowa 

 farmer advises the seeding of prairie sloughs to red too. " Sow 

 as soon as the ground thaws, and harrow well. Mow it before 

 harvest for two years, and you can be pretty sure of an unfailing 

 crop after. For pasture it is worth three to one of slough grass." 



Improvement of Pastures, as recommended by that 

 veteran writer, S. E. Todd, is to plow them, and cultivate the 

 soil for a few years, applying liberal dressings of barnyard 

 manure, or turning under red clover. After turning under a 

 crop of clover, sow three or four bushels of Indian coru per 



