BERMUDA-GRASS 331 
necessity of a thorough preparation of the soil, 
pastures and meadows are more often started 
from cuttings. To prepare cuttings, the sod is 
gathered and cut into small pieces with a feed 
cutter or other similar machine, or a wooden 
block and hatchet can be used if only a small 
quantity is needed. Since most of the propa- 
gating stems are near the surface, it is necessary 
to shave off a layer of sod only an inch or two 
thick. If cuttings are wanted in large quantities, 
the sod can be plowed and the roots harrowed 
into windrows or piles. In all cases care should 
be taken not to allow the roots to get dry. The 
cuttings may be planted at any time of the year 
in the South, except the coldest winter months, 
but the work is usually done in March. If a 
meadow is desired, more care should be taken 
in the planting of the cuttings to insure a level 
surface for the mowing machine. The cuttings 
are planted by dropping them at intervals of a 
foot or two in shallow furrows, and covering with 
the next round of the plow. This can be done 
when the field is plowed, the cuttings being 
dropped every other round or every third round. 
Or the field can be prepared first and the cut- 
tings dropped upon the surface and pressed in 
with the foot as they are planted. For meadows 
it is best to go over the land with a roller after 
planting. For pastures, when a smooth surface 
