128 FARMER'S BOOK OF GRASSES 



Grass seed should never be sown while the wind blows ; but 

 if this cannot be avoided, the next best thii;g to do, is to travel 

 with the wind in sowing. But even this can never give an 

 even or tolerably satisfactory distribution of seed. 



After sowing the seed never use harrow, or brush or other de- 

 vice, for covering. In some cases the roller may be used ; but 

 it is seldom needed. I have tried all the methods ; and I have 

 had best success by leaving the seed to be beaten in sufficiently 

 by rain. My best success with blup grass has been on unbroken 

 ground, the leaves only raked away and leaving a rather smooth 

 surface. 



Once I burned of! leaves and trash from a wooded lot and 

 immediately sowed blue grass seed in March. They came up 

 very promptly ; and in a few months the grass had attained a 

 larger growth than I had ever before seen at two years old. 



SIZE OF SEEDS AND DEPTH OF COVERING. 



In order to understand clearly the danger of harrowing in 

 grass seeds, let a few things be considered touching some of the 

 lust known forage plants. Red clover has 256,000 seed to the 

 pound, English blue grass or meadow fescue 400,000 and Tall 

 oat grass 340,000 ; these small seeds germinate badly if buried 

 deeper than a half inch in the lightest, fine soil. White clover 

 with 500,000 seed to the pound, and Orchard grass with 

 640,000 find it difficult to get up when covered one-fourth of 

 an inch. What then shall be the depth of covering for Timo- 

 thy seed of 1,184,000 to the pound, Soft meadow, or velvet 

 grass with 1,500,000, Red top with 6,800,000 and White top. 

 with 8,000,000 seeds to the pound ? From these statements 

 the utility the necessity of the roller preceding on loose soil 

 the sowing of light, minute seeds will at once be appreciated, 

 as also the danger of harrow or brush after sowing. With a 

 heavy, badly prepared soil the danger from the harrow is much 

 enhanced ; for covering these seeds one-fourth or one-half inch 

 deeper than above mentioned the bulk of them never germin- 

 ate. The failuies from too deep covering are frequent and lead 

 to unjust suspicions and charges against seedsmen. 



THE TIME TO SOW 



must be determined by each one's own judgement. The or- 

 chard, red top, blue, timothy, velvet and Italian rye grasses 

 may be sown any time from the first of September till the 

 middle of March with success, or again with total failure. 

 Each must be governed as to time of sowing by telluric and at- 

 mospheric conditions. It is worse than useless to sow on a 

 parched ground, or during a drought. If the ground be moist 



