RED TOP. 157 



nurse crop, as for instance, winter rye, winter wheat or 

 winter barley, and in conjunction with timothy. When 

 sown in the autumn, a stand is on the whole more as- 

 sured than when sown in the . spring. In the spring, 

 red top may be sown with any of the small cereal 

 grains, but when thus sown the aim should be not to 

 shade the ground too densely by using a more or less 

 reduced quantity of the seed of the nurse crop. When 

 sown on galled or impoverished lands, in order to cover 

 them with a sod, it is also usually sown alone. 



When sown in combination with other grasses red 

 top and timothy make a favorite mixture on soils neither 

 high nor very low. On low soils no combination of 

 grasses for hay is more popular than red top, timothy 

 and alsike clover. These are adapted to the same soils 

 and mature about the same time. When sown for pas- 

 ture, this grass may be sown alone, but better in com- 

 bination with other grasses and with certain of the 

 clovers, according to the nature of the conditions of cli- 

 mate and soil. 



The extent of the covering required depends largely 

 on soil conditions; sometimes in both fall and spring 

 sowing, no covering is required. In other instances, the 

 roller will furnish a sufficient covering; usually, how- 

 ever, a light harrow furnishes the best covering for the 

 seed. 



The amount of seed to sow will vary with the object 

 sought in sowing, as in providing hay or pasture, with 

 the cleanness of the seed and with the nature of the 

 combination with which the seed is sown. When sown 

 alone with a view to make pasture quickly, more seed 



