42 GRASSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



instance, it grows in the lower lands and fails on the 

 higher ground through drought or poverty of soil, a full 

 stand may sometimes be obtained by simply adding more 

 seed, and providing the same with a covering. If the 

 stand on the spots that need renewal is partial; that is 

 to say, if there are plants there but growing too thinly, 

 the seed should be sown on the surface and covered with 

 the harrow, but the ground should not be harrowed to 

 the extent of destroying many of the plants that are 

 already established. If the areas that require re-seed- 

 ing are devoid or nearly so of plants it may be helpful, 

 in some instances, to disk the ground before adding 

 more seed. The seed thus added should be sown in the 

 fall as soon as fall rains come. If a top dressing 

 of fine farmyard manure is added before or after har- 

 rowing in the seed, but not in such quantities as to hin- 

 der growth by smothering, the young grasses will grow 

 more vigorously and will go through the winter in much 

 better form. In the absence of farmyard manure certain 

 commercial fertilizers may be used with profit. Tim- 

 othy meadows Especially may be thus renewed with 

 much advantage. 



When the growth of the plants is to be stimulated fer- 

 tilizers must be applied. For this purpose no better 

 fertilizer can be used than farmyard manure, could it 

 be obtained in sufficient quantities, as it acts as a 

 mulch in addition to the fertility which it supplies. It 

 may be used in the fresh form, especially when evenly 

 and not too thickly distributed, as with the aid of the 

 manure spreader or in the reduced form. When applied 

 it ought to be in the autumn rather than the spring on 



