KENTUCKY BLUB GRASS. 107 



meadow, this grass is pretty certain to appear more or 

 less the second year, and if grazing follows in subsequent 

 years it will not be very long till the pasture is one of 

 blue grass. This would seem to indicate that many of 

 the seeds of this grass are lying in such soils in a dor- 

 mant state, and ready to gTow when the conditions favor 

 such growth. 



It is possible also to so transform the grasses of the 

 prairie without ploughing them that they will ultimately 

 become essentially blue grass pastures. This may be 

 done by scattering seed over them, not necessarily in 

 large quantities at one time, in the autumn or early 

 spring. The best time probably for sowing such seed 

 is just after it has been gathered. Especially is this 

 true of areas in which the summer climate is dry, as 

 for instance, the bench lands of Rocky mountain areas. 

 The seed thus used may be sown quite as well in the 

 chaff as in the cleaned form. In due time some of the 

 plants will grow. If only a part of them are allowed 

 to mature their seeds, as when the grazing is not too 

 close, these fall down and are scattered more or less and 

 produce fresh plants. The transforming process is 

 hastened by the increase of plants through the root- 

 stalks pushed out from the growing plants. It may be 

 still further hastened by adding more seed the second 

 autumn or the third. The advantage from sowing the 

 seed in small quantities at one time and repeating the 

 sowing another season lies in the fact that the risk of 

 losing all or nearly all the seed is lessened,- should it all 

 be sown at one time, and a very dry season follow. When 

 the seed is sown thus it would not seem necessary to 



