MEADOWS AND PASTURES 27 
they are best sown in early fall. Vet in the North all 
these plants may be successfully sown in late summer 
if the soil is in good condition. Late fall sowing is 
seldom advisable, for it is unsafe to let a meadow of 
any except the hardiest grasses go into winter without 
a good covering on it. In the colder regions of the 
Prairie States it is well to plow the land in fall, then 
prepare it, and sow the seed in early spring. In the 
Pacific Northwest, on upland prairies east of the Cas- 
cade Mountains, it is best to plow in spring and sow 
the seed at once. The reasons for this are given in the 
chapter on timothy. In the irrigated distri¢ts of this 
section fall sowing is advisable, while west of the Cas- 
cades the same rules apply as in Ohio, Pennsylvania, 
and adjacent States. At high altitudes in the Rockies 
spring sowing is safest because of the cold winters. 
MANNER OF SOWING 
Very light, chaffy seeds, such as those of brome- 
grass, especially the imported seed, and awned seeds, 
such as those of tall meadow oat-grass, do not feed 
through seeding-machines satisfactorily, and should, 
therefore, be sown by hand. Hand-sowing should al- 
ways be done when the air is as still as possible. It is 
well-nigh impossible to distribute the seed evenly when 
the wind is blowing. Unless the sower is decidedly 
expert, it is best to sow half of the seed at.a time, 
making the second sowing crosswise to the first. This 
insures a more even stand. 
For such seeds as will feed through it, such as tim- 
othy, redtop (recleaned), clovers, etc., in general, for 
small, round, clean seeds, the wheelbarrow-seeder is 
