Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 387 



*' I desire to reseed my meadow with as little delay as possible. 

 Would it do to turn over sod this month or next, subsoil the land 

 and sow early with barley or spring wheat and seed with clover 

 and timothy, and top dress with manure as soon as the grass is ofl"? 

 Would the sod or the grass roots be sufficiently killed that they 

 would not take possession and run out the recently sown grass 

 seeds ? A part would be black soil on clay, but the larger portion 

 red limestone or gravelly clay on limestone clay, subsoil plowed, 

 and harrowed into the soil. By this preparation of the seed bed, 

 an excellent catch of grass will be secured; and the burden of 

 herbage will be heavy enough by September, or before, to yield a 

 fair crop of grass. By raising a crop of grain, the growth of the 

 grass will be retarded, almost one season. 



"These suggestions are made with especial reference to reno- 

 vating old meadows, or pasture fields, in the shortest possible time, 

 without any reference to a rotation of crops, or the production of 

 anything but grass. If a farmer has well rotted manure, or com- 

 post, it will produce a more satisfactory result to apply it to the 

 soil, previous to seeding, than to withhold manure and top dress 

 the young grass, after the barley or wheat has been removed. 



•' If the present grass consists chiefly of Kentucky blue grass 

 i^Poa Praiense), or Long Island blue grass {Poa Co7}ipressa), or 

 red top {Agrostis Vulgaris), the roots will not all die, unless the 

 land is plowed more than once. If the land be stocked down with 

 red clover and timothy, where there are live grass roots of kinds 

 just mentioned, the clover and timothy will be supplanted in two 

 or three seasons." 



Mr. S. Edwards Todd. — There are many things to be considered 

 when an old meadow is to be reseeded. If there is a stifl" soil it 

 may not be the better way to plow the ground. But, if any con- 

 siderable portion of the surface is bare, the land had better be 

 plowed. When it is desh'able to produce a firm sod as soon as 

 practicable after the ground is plowed, the better way is not to 

 raise a crop of grain. There is nothing gained, but a great loss 

 . sustained, by sowing grain with a view to raising a crop of grain 

 and a burden of grass at the same time. It is an egregious mistake 

 of multitudes of farmers to attempt to grow two crops on the same 

 land at the same time. If the meadow has become what is termed 

 •'hide bound," it will be decidedly better to plow the ground, sub- 

 soil, if necessary, apply a bountiful dressing of manure, and stock 

 down the laud early in the spring, without sowing any grain. If 



