24 GRASSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



to pack ill-drained soils. Usually a light harrow with 

 many tooth and which may Ijo adjusted at any angle 

 desired mav be made to furnish a sufficient covering. 

 But there are soils in which it may be advantageous 

 sometimes to burv even small grass seeds, as timothy 

 and alsike clover, to the depth of two inches or even 

 to a greater depth. 



The more moist the climate, the more shallow rela- 

 tively may grass seeds be covered. The reasons for this 

 will be at once apparent. The more frequent the rains, 

 the more copious the dews, the more humid the air, the 

 more moderate the temperatures, the nearer to the sur- 

 face can the young plants secure the requisite moisture, 

 because of the extent to which under the conditions just 

 stated the influences which produce it fall upon and 

 penetrate the soil, and because of the slow yielding up of 

 moisture to the influences which produce surface evap- 

 oration. Hence it is that grass seeds and indeed all seeds 

 cannot be best planted at the same depth in all localities 

 in which the climatic conditions difi^er, even though the 

 other conditions should be the same. 



From what has been said with reference to the in- 

 fluence of soil and climate on the depth to wdiich seed 

 should be planted, it will be apparent, that when grass 

 seeds are sown at those seasons when moisture is abun- 

 dant thej' will need less of a covering than when sown 

 at other seasons. Thus it is that the seeds of many 

 grasses will grow with reasonable certainty in certain 

 areas, when sown in the spring on late snows and on 

 ground honeycombed with the frost, without any other 

 covering than nature can give them. When sown on 



