324 GRASSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



however poor, but it grows best on moist peaty land. 

 It will grow on light thin lands, on dry sandy and 

 gravelly soils, or on retentive clay hills, when insuffi- 

 cient moisture is present. When properly sown on these, 

 it will not only produce crops, but when ploughed un- 

 der, it prepares the land for growing other and better 

 crops. 



Place in the Botcdion. — From what has been said, 

 it will be evident that velvet grass is not properly 

 speaking a rotation grass. When grown it should 

 rather be to produce pasture or hay on poor soils. 

 When ploughed up, however, it should of course be 

 followed by such crops as experience has shown can 

 be grown with profit under the conditions. 



Preparing the Soil. — It is not necessary to take so 

 much pains in preparing the land for this crop as for 

 many grasses that are grown, but, when sown, the aim 

 should be to so prepare the land when practicable, 

 that a good stand would likely be secured. Under 

 some conditions, however, velvet grass will ultimately 

 possess land if the seed is simply scattered over the 

 same in the late summer or early autumn. 



Sowing. — The time for sowing velvet grass varies 

 with the locality. In the North, all things considered 

 the early spring would be the best season, but, doubt- 

 less, sowing late would sometimes answer. In the 

 South the seed may be sowed also in the early spring, 

 but it is better to sow it in the autumn from August 

 onward, according to the nature of the weather. In 

 the extreme South, when sown in August, the crop 

 may be cut for soiling food in January and February, 



