43 



mended are generally used, it is a matter of some diffienlty, 

 or rather one which requires an extreme degree of care, to 

 apply evenly by hand sowing. There has been ninch inqniry 

 for a machine which will a]iply fertilizers broadcast in a 

 satisfactory manner. As a result of such experience as we 

 have had here in the nse of machines for this purpose, I 

 conclude that our inventors have not as yet produced a ma- 

 chine which is altogether satisfactory. For the application 

 of relatively small amounts of fertilizer we have for the last 

 few years employed the Stevens' fertilizer distributer, and 

 this, if kept in perfect order and all the working parts clean, 

 i» capable of doing fairly satisfactory work. The means 

 whereby the amount of fertilizer applied can be gauged are 

 not by any means perfect. It is difficult to set the machine 

 for a definite amount, as the quantity of fertilizer feeding 

 through it will vary widely with the condition of the material. 

 A machine with a more certain and positive feed would be 

 better. For the application of fertilizers such as lime or 

 wood ashes, in amounts approximating a ton to the acre or 

 more, we have used Kemp's manure spreader with the slow 

 feed with fairly satisfactory results. It is relatively easy to 

 apply definite amounts to given areas with this machine, 

 but the fertilizer material is likely to drop in large masses 

 occasionally, owing to not being reached and distributed by 

 the beater; and to avoid killing the grass in the spots where 

 this happens, it is necessary to go over the field and scatter 

 such fertilizer by hand. 



The Care op Mowings. 

 While great care is commonly taken in smoothing and 

 leveling the surface when land is put into mowings, there is 

 a tendency to unevenness, as the result of the action of frost 

 and other agencies, and occasional rolling is likely to prove 

 beneficial. In the case of the non-sod-forming grasses the 

 condition of the mowing may be better maintained if some 

 seed is occasionally sown. The reason why timothy in some 

 cases proves much more persistent than in others is undoubt- 

 edly because the crop is harvested so late that some of the 

 seed is mature before the crop is cut, and the seed thus acci- 



