43 



PASTURES AND PASTURE PLANTS 



CHAi'. 



number of mixed plants than of any one kind cultivated alone. Hence the 

 more complex a mixture, i.e., the greater number of species of varying habit it 

 contains, the more the weight of seed that should be sown per acre. 



In both tables, columns 5 to 12, which are added to save calculation, give 

 the necessary weights required per acre, with additions of from 10 to 80 

 per cent. 



Another Method. — The Woburn experiments have demonstrated that 

 the use of 10,000,000 living pasture seeds per acre produces a heavy yield ; 

 and Mr. W. Carruthers recommends this as the basis of his calculations for 

 estimating seed mixtures for pastures and hay. 



The average number of grains in a lb. of pure seed of each of the principal 

 grasses and clovers is given in the table following ; but this value is relative 

 only, since some species vary greatly. 



Number of 

 seeds. 



Meadow foxtail-grass .. 



Sweet vernal-grass 



Tall oat-grass 



Yellow oat-grass 



Crested dogstail-grass.. 

 Rough cocksfoot-grass 



Tall fescue-grass 



Meadow fescue-grass .. 

 Sheep's fescue-grass , . 



Hard fescue-grass 



Perennial rye-grass 



907,000 



924,000 



159,000 



2,045,000 



1,127,000 



579,500 

 318,200 

 318,200 

 680,000 

 680,000 

 336,800 



Italian rye gra?s 



Timothy 



Smooth-stalked meadow- 1 



grass J 



Rough-stalked meadow-grass 



Lucerne 



Trefoil 



Sainfoin 



Red clover 



White clover 



Alsike clover 



Number of 

 seeds. 



285,000 

 1,170,500 



2,400,000 



3,250,000 

 209,500 

 328,000 

 22,500 

 279,000 

 740,000 

 707,000 



From these data the number of germinating grains in a lb. of any seed is 

 readily ascertained if its percentage of germination be known. Assuming the 

 germination of a sample of Red clover to be 80, we see from the above state- 

 ment that I lb. of pure seed contains on an average 279,000 grains; but the 

 seed under consideration has only 80 per cent, of living grains ; and it will 

 therefore contain only 80 per cent, of the number of useful seeds in an average 

 lb. of pure seed, — that is 80 per cent, of 279,000 = Jy^ of 279,000 = 223,200 

 grains. 



After the species to be sown are selected, and the number of living grains 

 in a lb. of each has been calculated, the quantities required to make up 

 10,000,000 seeds may be readily determined. 



Practical Composition of Mixtures 



Choice of Varieties. — The first necessity in the actual composition of 

 a pasture mixture is to carefully select those varieties which are best adapted 

 for the soil and contemplated end. Endurance, habit of growth, and 

 development must be considered ; the proper proportions of deep and 

 shallow-rooting species should be added to profitably utilise the whole avail- 

 able soil ; and the inclusion of sufficient stoloniferous varieties to form 

 "bottom-herbage" and completely fill the spaces between taller-growing plants 

 is absolutely necessary. Useful hints can sometimes be gathered from an 

 examination of the indigenous flora, but such considerations are always 

 subservient to the vital necessity of selecting only the most productive and 



