268 Fertilizers 



attention than is usually accorded it. Its chief advan- 

 tage lies in the fact that it is ready for use two or three 

 weeks earlier than the grasses ordinarily grown; it is 

 a plant, also, that makes a very heavy growth under good 

 conditions of soil and season. 



Like other grasses, orchard-grass requires an abun- 

 dance of available nitrogenous food, and therefore the 

 promise of a crop is very much increased by the applica- 

 tion of manures or fertilizers containing nitrogen at the 

 time of seeding, and by top-dressing with nitrate of soda 

 in early spring. A good formula or mixture for time of 

 seeding is the following : 



Nitrate of soda 100 Ibs. 



Tankage 200 Ibs. 



Acid phosphate 600 Ibs. 



Muriate of potash 100 Ibs. 



An application of 400 to 600 pounds of such a mixture 

 well harrowed into the soil with a spring top-dressing of 

 100 to 150 pounds of nitrate of soda should amply supply 

 the requirements of an abundant crop. 



Italian rye-grass. 



Another grass that has received some attention as a 

 forage crop, particularly for summer pasture and soiling, 

 is Italian rye-grass. It is especially suitable for moist 

 soils, or for soils that can be irrigated, and responds 

 very profitably to the application of water or heavy 

 fertilization. The fertilization of this crop may be the 

 same as that recommended for orchard-grass, except 

 where irrigation is practiced, in which case less available 

 nitrogen should be used because it is likely to be lost by 

 leaching. 



