10 



PRErAEATION OF THE SoiL FOR GkASS. 



The fact that very thorough and careful tiUage in prepa- 

 ration for crops of all kinds is usually profitable is increas- 

 ingly appreciated in recent years; and Mr. Clark must be 

 credited with having done much good in emphasizing the 

 desirability and profitableness of thorough jDreparation of 

 the soil for grass. When jjracticable, it seems to be best to 

 plow land which is to be seeded to grass some weeks pre- 

 vious to sowing the seed, and to give sufiicient shallow 

 tillage by means of harrows to bring the surface into a 

 thoroughly fine and mellow condition. If seeding is to be 

 done in the spring, it will in most cases be best to plow 

 in the fall, and to complete the preparation in the spring 

 by the use of such harrows as are adapted to the conditions. 

 The disc harrows are very valuable in sod land and in work- 

 ing strawy manures under, but the fiiud preparation should 

 be given by the use of harrows which do not work as deej), 

 and which leave the soil smooth. The Acme harrow is a 

 good implement to follow the disc, while the smoothing 

 harrow is almost always best for the final preparation of the 

 soil for seed. The best condition f(^r the growth of the 

 grass in most soils is obtained by plowing sufficiently long- 

 before seeding to permit the soil to settle somewhat, so that 

 when the seed is sown the soil shall be moderately compact 

 underneath, and light and mellow to the depth of a few 

 inches only. When breaking up an old mowing and reseed- 

 ing without the introduction of a hoed crap, it is best to 

 plow the land as soon as convenient after the first crop of hay 

 is harvested, and then harrow sufficiently often to keep down 

 all weeds and to maintain the surface in mellow condition 

 until the proper time for sowing the seed arrives. In the 

 case of the experiment station mowing, to Avhieh reference 

 has already been made and which is referred to again later 

 in this article, the first crop of hay was harvested June 25. 

 The land was plowed on July 16. Between that date and 

 the date of seeding, which was August 14, the land was 

 harrowed with a disc harrow eight times, and final prepara- 

 tion given with the Acme and smoothing harrow just pre- 



