216 CULTIVATION OF GRASSES. 



approved of, as the plants do not ordinarily obtain suffi- 

 cient strength to withstand the severity of our northern 

 winters. A better practice would be, we think, to sow 

 with buckwheat in July. The plants would then have 

 time to establish themselves well in the soil. We, how- 

 ever, think that spring sowing is to be preferred in the 

 northern States. 



The quantity of seed to be sown on an acre, will de- 

 pend upon the quality of the soil, the purpose to which 

 the clover is to be applied, and the quantity of other grass- 

 seeds sown with it. As much of the seed sown upon 

 stiff clays, or upon grounds not well pulverized, will not 

 vegetate, for want of a continued supply of moisture, al- 

 lowance should be made for the failure ; yet, upon these, 

 and wet grounds, the main dependance, after the first 

 year, is upon timothy or other grasses sown with the clo- 

 ver. If the ground is intended for pasture, the varieties 

 of seeds should be as extensive as possible, as the object 

 is to obtain an abundance of food at all seasons, and to 

 render the pasture perennial. The usual quantity of seed 

 sown on the acre in the United States, is about ten 

 pounds ; in Great Britain it is often increased to fourteen 

 pounds ; while in Flanders six pounds is the medium 

 quantity, though in the latter country the land is always 

 in the best condition to receive it. The more plants that 

 can be made to grow, the finer will be the herbage, and 

 the greater the amount of vegetable matter afforded by 

 the ley to the crop which is to follow. 



The after-culture of clover consists in freeing the sur- 

 face of stones and sticks, the soil from docks and thistles, 

 and in applying an annual top-dressing of gypsum, or, 

 when this is inoperative, of lime or ashes. The top- 

 dressing is best applied in the spring, before the clover 

 begins to grow. Upon lands annually dressed with plas- 

 ter, a bushel is considered a sufficient dressing for an 

 acre, though greater quantities are often apphed with ad- 

 vantage. 



The making clover into hay is a process different from 

 that of making hay from natural grasses. All herbage 

 plants abound most in nutriment, and should be cut be- 



