32 PRACTICAL NOTES ON GRASSES AND GRASS GROWING. 
sun being able to draw the nutriment away day by day from 
its naked surface. 
These black and white leys may sometimes be left down a 
second year with advantage, but an advantage is seldom 
gained should clover be so left, because it seems that in a 
favourable season clover will extract the accumulated wealth 
of eight years of certain ingredients ; therefore under the most 
favourable circumstances the results of the second year’s crops 
will be highly disappointing, unless perchance the yield from 
the first year be a poor one. We have tried this experiment 
many times, and a lesson has been taught us by bitter experi- 
ence which we have dearly paid for. 
We have now dealt with the general mixtures for spring 
sowing for one year’s ley, omitting mention of fancy mixtures, 
which should only be tried under exceptional circumstances 
and conditions. We have still the one year’s ley of catch 
crops to deal with. First of all comes trifolium, which is sown 
during the month of September on a bare stubble, and in an 
ordinary season requires no burying, and sheep, if turned on 
to the stubble at seeding time, are an advantage to it, as they 
pull off any extraneous weeds. A Cambridge roller or chain 
harrows, can be used with advantage, and they should be 
brought into requisition as soon as possible after the seed has 
been sown. Italian ryegrass is sometimes used as a mixture, 
or sown alone as a catch crop, and it should be used off in 
time, to sow turnips, but this seed requires more burying 
unless plenty of moisture be in evidence. Red suckling is 
sown on lI ght-landed soil before the corn is cut or after it is 
garnered, and a crop of hay or seed is thus secured the follow- 
ing June. Sainfoin and lucerne are more of a permanent 
nature, the former being drilled across and across (over wart) 
in a corn drill in April, four bushels to the acre, the latter 
being cultivated by itself, of which we propose to speak 
hereafter. 
