518 THE GRASSES OF TENNESSEE. 



often obtained an excellent catch upon "galled" places, by 

 breaking the land well, and sowing the seed without any 

 previous or after harrowing. In nine cases in ten, a stand 

 will be secured in this way upon soils where clover sown 

 with small grain will fail nine cases in ten. 



The quantity of seed to sow per acre depends upon the 

 character of the soil, its state of pulverization, and also 

 upon the fact whether the land has ever been seeded to 

 clover. Upon good, fresh, rich soils where clover has not 

 previously grown, one bushel for eight acres will be suffi- 

 cient. If the soil is thin and unproductive, one bushel for 

 six acres ought to be sown. If the land has been regularly 

 rotated with clover, one-half the quantity of seed mentioned 

 above will suffice, sometimes much less. Clover seed owing 

 to the large quantity of oil which it contains, is nearly in- 

 destructible when placed ten or twelve inches beneath the 

 surface. I once purchased a field which had been cropped 

 continuously for ten years without rest, and almost with- 

 out any rotation. It grew a crop of corn the year before. 

 I purchased it in February, plowed it deeply with a large 

 three-horse plow, and sowed it in oats. The oat crop was 

 excellent, and I never saw clover spring up so thickly upon 

 any land. After the oats were harvested the clover grew to 

 the height of eighteen inches, and covered the whole field 

 with its rich mantle of green. I did not sow one seed on 

 it, and no clover had been permitted to grow upon it from 

 1859 to 1869, the year I seeded it to oats. 



The frequent failure to secure a good stand of clover ad- 

 monishes the farmers of the State to exercise more care in 

 the seeding. When sown late in the spring many of the 

 seeds sprout, and are killed by dry weather. It would be 

 all the better if the clover seed could be buried a half-inch 

 (or even an inch on loose soils) beneath the surface after the 

 middle of March. The common practice in England, is to 

 sow not only clover, but all other grass seeds, with oats or 

 barley, in spring. After the seeds are sown the field is har- 



