GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 33 



plants the benefit of more sunshine and moisture than 

 would be possible when sown with a crop of grain in the 

 spring. Spring rye also answers the purpose well, but 

 the grass seeds can only be sown upon it in the spring, 

 and usually not so early as on winter rye. Winter 

 wheat makes nearly as good a nurse crop as winter rye, 

 but it stools more and is not harvested quite so early. 

 Other winter crops, as for instance winter barley or win- 

 ter oats make good nurse crops where these can be grown, 

 as in the southern states. But the fact is to be remem- 

 bered that when sowing grasses with winter crops adverse 

 influences which injure the nurse crop, as cold winds or 

 heaving through freezing and thawing alternately will 

 also in a measure injure the crops sown with these, 

 though probably to a less extent. Barley stands rela- 

 tively high as a nurse crop for grasses. It does not shade 

 them for so long a period as some other nurse crops, nor 

 is the shade so dense, since the gi-owth of barley is not so 

 tall as that of other cereals ; more sunlight is admitted 

 during the maturing period of the barley. Oats are 

 probably less favorable to the growth of young grasses 

 than any of the other small grains except peas. They 

 stool more than other grains, and are of more leafy 

 growth, hence they provide a denser shade, and in matur- 

 ing they draw heavily on the moisture of the soil. But 

 oats may in manv instances be profitably used as a nurse 

 crop by sowing a less quantity of the seed than is usual 

 and then cutting the oats for hay as soon as they are 

 fully in head. When they are thus harvested, the drain 

 of soil moisture so rapid during the maturing period is 

 prevented. To preclude such a drain, when it can be 

 Grasses — 3 



