240 MANAGEMENT OF MEADOWS. 



certainly ought to be^' able to compete with the Northern 

 States with these advantages ; and then, to add to our ad- 

 vantages, there is a surplus of labor awaiting our orders. 

 It is true, our labor is not educated, but we can supply that 

 defect by properly educating ourselves so as to meet any of 

 of the requirements necessary to raise these crops. If we 

 do this our country will assume such a charming appear- 

 ance that it will delight the eye of every passenger who 

 travels through it on the many lines of railroads, besides re- 

 paying the owners all the care bestowed on it. Our citi- 

 zens are not so much to blame for this backwardness in the 

 cultivation of the grasses as would appear at first sight. The 

 routine established before the war was hard to break up, 

 but they are now looking around for some more profitable 

 method of farming. To establish meadows is the part 

 of wisdom. Just how to do this we propose to tell in this 

 chapter more fully than in the introductory chapters. We 

 shall consider: 



1st. The preparation of meadow lands. 



2nd. Selection of suitable seeds for sowing and method of 

 mixing. 



3rd. Times of sowing and the best methods of securing 

 stands. 



4th. Cutting, curing and storing the hay. 



5th. Improvement of meadows. 



6th. Manures and manner of their application. 



In our remarks upon the different grasses, the most of 

 the subjects have already, to some extent, been noticed, and 

 therefore, we will be pardoned if some repetition takes 

 place, but the subject is of so much importance that we will 

 be justified by the ends to be attained. 



PREPAKATION OF MEADOW IANDS. 



This is of the utmost importance when we reflect that 

 any want of attention to all the details necessary to insure 

 success involves a considerable loss, not only in money and 



