90 PASTURE PLANTS AND PASTURES OF N.Z. 



heavy rolling might be succeeded by a light harrowing, then 

 the seed, then the brush harrows. By these means we shall 

 approach most nearly Nature's method of sowing her seeds. 



Time of Sowing. — As a general rule Autumn is the best 

 time for sowing grasses. Surface sowing after burns must, 

 of course, be done in Autumn, and on arable land also, the 

 following considerations point to Autumn as being the best 

 time. (1) If the sowing is postponed till Spring it is often 

 so late before one can get on to the land with horses, owing to 

 the Winter rains, that sowing has to be put off till unduly 

 late. (2) If the young grass is wanted in Spring as is usually 

 the case, it must be sown in Autumn. (3) In Autumn the 

 nitrates so essential to vigorous growth of grass are in their 

 maximum quantity in the soil, having being formed by the 

 soil bacteria during the Summer warmth. In Spring the 

 soil nitrates are at their minimum, production having ceased 

 during the Winter cold, and all those formed during the 

 preceding Summer having been washed out by the Winter 

 rains. Where grass is sown alone as a special crop it is 

 usually sown in Autumn, and the earlier the better, the 

 determining factor in most districts being the presence of 

 sufficient moisture in the soil to secure germination. If 

 sown at the end of February or early in March it may often 

 be fed off before Winter. On arable land most of the grass 

 is sown down with oats in Autumn, broadcasting the grass 

 after drilling the oats, and this usually gives a fair strike, 

 though of course it is less likely to succeed than if the grass 

 were sown alone. Occasionally the grass starts well, and 

 then if a dry Summer supervenes, dies away because all the 

 available moisture is seized on by the oats. Occasionally 

 grass is sown with wheat in Autumn, but this is rare. 



For Spring sowing several methods are used. (1) The 

 grass may be sown alone in September, or as soon as the land 

 is dry enough. (21 It may be sown with barley. (3) It 



