26 GRASSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



all save what nature can bring to them. Such, for in- 

 stance, is blue grass (Poa praiensis). Because of this 

 power it will sometimes take possession of soils with- 

 out being sown at all save by the hand of nature. Par- 

 ticularly is this true of lands that have produced forest, 

 in areas which abounded at one time in the eastern and 

 middle states, and also in the provinces of Canada east 

 from Manitoba. On these areas this grass usually takes 

 complete possession of the soil, to the exclusion of near- 

 ly all the other forms of vegetable life, and without any 

 aid from man except in removing the shade of trees 

 with the axe, and also that of large and coarse forms of 

 ^'egetation, as bushes for instance, by allowing animals 

 to graze upon them. Timothy will grow on such lands 

 and in some instances without being covered artificially, 

 but it will usually grow more successfully when pro- 

 vided with a slight covering. Blue grass evidently 

 lias greater inherent power to grow than timothy, a 

 fact that is evidenced in the ability of blue grass in 

 certain soils to crowd out timothy in pastures, to the 

 extent of taking complete possession of the soil. The 

 possession of inherent power to grow in a marked de- 

 gree in unfavorable conditions enables many forms of 

 weed life to get a hold on the soil without any covering 

 being furnished to the seeds other than nature gives 

 them. 



Methods of Covering. — When grass seeds are sown 

 while the snows yet linger on the ground honeycombed 

 with the frost, no covering can be given to them other 

 than that which nature furnishes, nor, as previously in- 

 timated, is it required. Nor is any other covering need- 



