42 THE GRASSES 



of these is similar in every way to the preparation for mea- 

 dows. It should be borne in mind, however, that bottom 

 lands that are at all inclined to be wet are unfitted for 

 pastures. Wet or even moist land will pack under cattle. 

 Since land once laid down in grass can never take the 

 plow while the grass lives, all the necessary cultivation or 

 plowing must be given it beforehand, and, since it is to be 

 once for all, this preparation should be as thorough as pos- 

 sible. Thoroughly prepared land should be entirely free 

 from standing water. The soil should be so loose and 

 friable that the heaviest rain will not render it soggy, nor 

 the longest drought make it crack. An easy and simple 

 test of the presence of too much tightness in land is to dig 

 a few holes, say two feet deep, and notice after a rain how 

 long the water stands in them. If it stands for twelve hours 

 after the rain has ceased, unless the rain has been of long 

 continuance, say several days^ then the land needs loosening. 

 It is too tight — holds too much water. For this the best 

 known remedy is under-draining. This is not only the 

 most effectual but also the most profitable remedy, and will 

 pay wherever properly applied. The next best thing, and 

 the thing that should always be done, whether the land is 

 underMrained or not, is subsoiling. This can be done as 

 thoroughly with a properly made bull-tongue plow as with 

 the best subsoiler ever patented. The bull-tongue only 

 needs to be made long and narrow, and sent down as deep 

 as it can be made to go in the track of the best turning 

 plow to be had. After it has been thoroughly plowed, a 

 good top dressing of air-slacked lime should be given, say 

 250 bushels to the acre. Then the ground should be well 

 harrowed. It will pay to cross-harrow, to be followed by a 

 generous top dressing of manure, then the seed put in. 

 This last operation should be thoroughly well done. The 

 common error among American farmers in sowing grass 

 seed is the putting on too few seed, and of too small a 

 variety. There are undoubtedly pastures in Kentucky 



