198 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



any other. Then with a seed-sower, about eight feet long, 

 a horse and man will sow an acre in perhaps an hour. When 

 that is done, I put on a roller and roll down the top of the 

 ground and roll in the seed. You asked me why I rolled it 

 in. In the first place, I like to see a good smooth surface. 

 There is something pleasant in the appearance of it ; but the 

 advantage of it is that you get a better germination, — a larger 

 percentage of germinating seeds from rolling it than you. will 

 if you brush it in, as many people do. 



What do you want in germination, when you come to 

 think of it? Why, you want moisture; and you won't get 

 moisture, if you mix your grass seed loosely with the soil. 

 If you can lay the soil so close about the seed as to have the 

 moisture of the soil moisten the seed, then there is one con- 

 dition of germination secured. Another is, you must have 

 warmth if the seed is going to sprout, and as the sun's rays 

 come down on the soil and warm the surface it gets the 

 warmth, and you get perfect germination. I remember 

 some years ago I was going down the Alabama River, from 

 Montgomery in Alabama to Mobile, going down on a boat, 

 and we had a New York alderman there. This was before 

 the New York aldermen had become as corrupt as they are 

 now. That alderman used to have a sense of duty, and 

 used to go round and visit the city institutions of New York, 

 and he told a story about going to the marine hospital and 

 finding a couple of old sailors there. They were past work, 

 were worn out, and had drifted in there to stay what little 

 time they had, and then were going to die. One morning 

 in the spring, it was a little warm, and those old fellows 

 crawled out and sat sunning themselves. Finally one said to 

 the other, " Jim, we ought not to be spending all our time 

 doing nothing. We are going pretty soon. Can't you think 

 of something we can do?" "Well," says Jim, " I don't 

 know as there is anything to be done, except to write our 

 epitaphs." So they found a shingle and a piece of chalk, 

 and sat down on the piazza, and Jim said to Sam, "Now 

 3'ou begin. You write first and I will write next." " No," 

 Sam said, " You write first." So Jim began it. He 

 scratched his head, put the chalk on the shingle, and finally 

 got started. " Here I lies," and there he stopped. " Here 



