314 FORAGE CROPS 



not only plowed deep, but frequently and thor- 

 oughly cultivated, both to destroy weed seeds and 

 to put the soil in an exceedingly fine tilth, which 

 promotes the solubility of plant- food and permits 

 the easy penetration of the roots of the young 

 plants. It has been shown, also, that grass thus 

 seeded does not usually require a nurse- crop, and 

 that such seedings will give a larger yield of hay, 

 the following season, than can be expected when 

 seeded with grain in the customary way. 



Seed and seeding 



When seeded for permanent timothy meadow 

 and for market, hay is the object sought; hence, 

 if land is well prepared and clean, twenty to thirty 

 pounds of seed should be used, although it follows 

 that with this thick seeding abundance of avail- 

 able food should be present. The common practice 

 of mixing timothy and clover is a good one, as gen- 

 erally a larger crop is obtained the first season — a 

 sufficient increase to pay, although the selling price 

 is lower for mixed hay. In this case, the follow- 

 ing mixture of seed has been found to be good 

 (using twenty to twenty -four pounds of seed per 

 acre) : 



Timothy 12 pounds 



Red clover 4 pounds 



Alsike 2 pounds 



