MEADOWS AND PASTURES 19 



dressing of manure the previous winter or spring, in 

 which case it is hardly necessary to manure again at 

 this stage. Where there is a deficiency of manure, 

 as in some parts of the East, a dressing of phosphate 

 is usually applied to the land and harrowed in just be- 

 fore the wheat is sown, or even with the wheat. 



As elsewhere stated, it is better practice to sow 

 timothy and clover alone in the late summer or early 

 fall. Oat-stubble is well suited for this purpose, espe- 

 cially in the northern tier of States. In the region of 

 the Ohio River it is possible to grow a catch crop in 

 summer, such as millet or cow-peas, before seeding to 

 grass in the fall. In either case it is a good plan to 

 manure the land, the quantity required depending on 

 the fertility of the soil before breaking up for grass. 

 Plowing done at this season should be fairly deep say, 

 seven to nine inches. It is highly important to secure 

 a good tilth before sowing the grass-seed. If the soil 

 is inclined to be stiff, as most clay soils are, the disk- 

 harrow is a very useful implement in putting it in shape 

 for sowing. On loose soils the common drag-harrow is 

 sufficient. In the Middle South, where orchard -grass, 

 redtop, tall meadow oat-grass, and meadow-fescue 

 partially replace timothy, more care is required in pre- 

 paring grass-lands than in most other parts of the 

 country. Here much of the soil has been exhausted 

 by the continuous cultivation of cotton and corn, and 

 barn-yard manure is frequently not available. The 

 practice of subsoiling has become very general in this 

 section. 



The usual manner of subsoiling is to run a 

 " scooter*' in the furrow behind the turning-plow. 



