272 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
untouched if brome grass is available. For that rea- 
son it does not thrive when sown in mixed pastures 
with other grasses. So far as I know there is no 
other grass that animals will eat as readily as they 
will brome grass. 
Seed of brome grass is often seriously adulter- 
ated and of low germinating quality. Fresh seed 
grows well. Seed may be grown in any northern or 
middle state; it seeds right heavily. The usual 
sources of good seed are the Dakotas. Brome grass 
seed ought to be sown in the spring. To get it in 
an alfalfa pasture one can either sow with the alfalfa 
if that is spring sown, or he can harrow the fall sown 
alfalfa in April or earlier and sow the brome seed 
then. If it is a thin stand at first no matter; it will 
presently thicken up. It must be sown by hand, 
broadcast. Twenty pounds of seed is enough for 
an acre when used as a partner with alfalfa. 
Brome Grass as a Pasture Grass—After alfalfa 
and brome grass have grown together for some 
years there will remain little else than brome grass. 
Ultimately the yield of forage will be much de- 
creased because of depletion of soil nitrogen. Then 
it may be disked vigorously in the spring and more 
alfalfa seed, or seed of one of the clovers sown in, 
with a liberal application of phosphorus. The re- 
sult will be to quadruple the yield of forage. This 
grass is destined to come into wide use on the better 
soils of the eastern part of the United States. It 
is an efficient soil binder and stops erosion. It is a 
little hard to get out of soils but not especially so. 
