31 



July 1(5. Between that date and the date of seeding, which was August 

 14, the land Avas harrowed with a disc harrow eight times, and final 

 preparation given with the Acme and smoothing harrow just previous to 

 sowing the seed. The crop of the following year, concerning which 

 particulars are given later, was an exceedingly large one. The season 

 of 1903, it is true, was exceptionally favorable for grass, but the very 

 satisfactory results obtained are believed to have been due in no small 

 degree to the very thorough preparatory tillage which the land received. 



Whenever seed is sown in soil which is imperfectly prepared, a con- 

 siderable proportion of it must fail to germinate, and the result is an 

 imperfect sod. There are frequent bare spots in which weeds will later 

 start, and even if this were not the case, it would be found impossible to 

 secure the largest crops of which the land is capable unless the surface is 

 completely covered with grass. 



The Selection of the Seeds. — For the past dozen years we have grown 

 in the experiment station in Amherst something like 60 or 65 species 

 of grass annually, each occupying a plot of about one square rod. During 

 all this time these species have been underdose observation, and records 

 of their yield in some years and of their general condition have been kept. 

 During this time, moreover, a considerable number of different mixtures 

 of grass seeds have been tried on the different fields of the college farm. 

 As a result of the observation of all these species and the trials of differ- 

 ent mixtures above referred to, the conclusion has been reached that in 

 ordinary rotation farming, where the land is left in mowing only some 

 three or four 3 ears, to be followed ])y hoed crops for two or three years, 

 there is no mixture of seeds which will prove more widely adapted to 

 the conditions than the usual mixture of timothy, redtop and clovers. It 

 is the Ijeliet of the writer, however, that these seeds should be sown in 

 somewhat larger quantities than are usually advised. The necessity for 

 a close turf, covering every inch of the ground, has been referred to. 

 Such turf is more certainly secured with heavy seeding. It is the belief 

 of the writer, further, that the mammoth red clover should usually be 

 used in this mixture rather than the common red clover, as the former 

 matures more nearly at the same time with timothy and redtop. Most 

 of the soils upon the college farm are retentive of moisture, and on these 

 soils some alsike clover is invariably included in the mixtui'e. Alsike 

 is finer than the red and mammoth clovers, and is especially adapted to 

 moist soils. The mixture of seeds which we usually use is as follows : — 



Pounds. 



Timothy, 18 



Redtop, 8 



Mammoth clover, . ' . . . . . . . 5 



Alsike clover, ........ 4 



If a more permanent mowing is desired, it is believed to be best to 

 include other species, for under most conditions timothy does not prove 

 permanent. It gradually gives place to species which are less wiluable 

 for hay, — in the eastern })art of the State and on the lighter soil in many 

 cases to sweet vernal, farther inland and on the stronger soils to Ken- 



