MEADOWS AND MAKING HAY. 415 



light and poorer soils, Russinn brome, tall oat and per- 

 ennial rye grasses could be sown at the rate of 7, 5 and 7 

 pounds of the seed of each respectively. Various kinds 

 of grain mixtures may be grown for hay. Of these 

 oats, vetches and peas are the best; the oats may, of 

 course, be grown alone, sowing not less than 2^ bushels 

 of seed to the acre. More valuable hay, however, is 

 produced when peas or vetches or both are grovsm along 

 with the oats. In the mixture, 1-| bushels of peas or 

 the same of vetches would be the proper amounts to sow, 

 at least approximately. When both are sown, one-half 

 of the amount of each would suffice ; the variety of vetch 

 sown is the common kind {Vicia sativa). 



The common vetch is sometimes sown alone for hay, 

 but the better plan is to sow enough grain with it to 

 sustain the plants. In this part of the United States, 

 it is considered a very excellent hay plant. When cut 

 at a stage a little short of ripening, it makes particularly 

 excellent food for sheep. It has high adaptation for 

 all cultivable portions of this region. 



MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSIONS. 



The discussions that now follow relate to preparing 

 the soil for meadows ; sowing the seed ; harvesting, cur- 

 ing and storing the hay ; grazing the meadows and fer- 

 tilizing and renewing them. 



Preparing the Soil. — While as previously intimated, 

 careful preparation of the soil is advantageous in grow- 

 ing all kinds of grasses, it may be added, that it is espe- 

 cially so, when preparing the same for permanent mead- 

 ows, b-icause they are permanent. It would not be pos- 



