164 Effective Farming 



seems better able to derive plant-food from finely divided 

 than from coarse soil. Soils for grasses should be well drained 

 for best results, but some varieties of grass can be made to 

 grow on soil that is too wet for other crops and some kinds 

 will grow on dry soils. Thus it is seen that grasses have a 

 rather wide adaptability as to soil. 



The land to be seeded to grass should be well prepared. 

 Usually the crop is harvested for several years and for this 

 reason, especially, it pays to give the land good preparation 

 before seeding it. The plowing should be deep and the sur- 

 face preparation thorough. 



98. Purchasing and planting grass seed. Much grass seed 

 of poor quality is on the market, but usually good seed can 

 be obtained from a reliable dealer by paying a reasonable 

 price. It does not pay to plant the inferior quality. Weed 

 seeds, as a rule, are less common in grass seeds than they are 

 in clover and alfalfa seed, since they can be removed easily 

 from the former by means of fanning mills. Nevertheless 

 much of the seed offered for sale contains too high a percentage 

 of weed seeds. Often an examination with a hand lens will 

 reveal their presence. Such a product should, of course, be 

 avoided. 



When grass is to be grown alone in a field the seed is usually 

 broadcasted either by hand or by means of broadcast seeders, 

 of which there are many good types on the market. When 

 grass and a grain are to grow together the seeds of both are 

 usually planted at one operation with a grain drill. 



99. Harvesting grass crops for hay. To secure the best 

 results, grass for hay must be harvested at the proper stage 

 of growth. If allowed to become too ripe, the hay is woody 

 and not relished by live-stock ; if too green, the grass will be 

 difficult to cure and the yield of hay will be small. 



Modern hay-making machinery has been highly developed 

 and much of the labor is carried on by horse or mechanical 

 power. The grass is cut with a mower (Fig. 56) and allowed 



