398 GRASSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



method of clearing land is one of the simplest and 

 least expensive that can be adopted. 



When it is desired to transform forests into pas- 

 tures of the park or grove order, the method of so 

 changing them will, to some extent, depend upon the 

 growth of trees present. When all the trees are large, 

 change can be made, with less hazard to the trees that 

 are left, by gradually cutting down and removing such 

 as are not to remain, and by scattering the seeds of 

 such grasses as will grow in shade in the openings. 

 (See p. 372.) Meantime grazing should begin to keep 

 down weeds and second growth of trees. Fire should 

 not be introduced to consume the debris, unless care- 

 fully guarded from injuring the trees that are to re- 

 main. When the forest is of trees of relatively small 

 growth and thick with brush, goats may be introduced 

 to kill the brush as described above (see p. 395) be- 

 fore grass seeds are sown. But they may also bark 

 some trees, which it may be desirable to retain. If 

 fire is allowed to run over the ground in the early 

 spring, to consume the fallen leaves before the grasses 

 are sown, the stand of these will be made much more 

 certain. 



Transforming Native Prairie Pastures. In certain 

 areas, it may be desirable to transform native prairie 

 pastures into those composed of grasses, that will pro- 

 vide more pasture than is furnished by the former, and 

 without breaking the land with the plough or other im- 

 plement of tillage. There are localities where- such 

 transformation can be more surely made when imple- 

 ments for stirring the ground are not used than where 



