268 



MANAGEMENT OF MEADOWS. 



As compared with spring sowing, we may safely prefer 

 fall. Both heat and cold are injurious to young grass plants, 

 but of the two, cold is much less injurious than the 

 droughts of summer. It was the experience of the writer, 

 on one occasion, to sow a large' meadow. He began about 

 the 1st of September and sowed on until rains stopped him, 

 and again in the middle of October, and finished early in 

 March. On the September sowing there was a magnificent 

 stand that stood over the ground with a solid turf. On the 

 October crop the stand was fair, but much was destroyed 

 during the winter, and the weeds were very troublesome 

 the next year. On the March sowing the stand promised 

 as well as the September crop, but the droughts of summer 

 destroyed it completely. 



But there will always be a difference of opinion on this 

 subject, and this difference mainly arises from the difference 

 in the character of soils. Some soils are better sown in the 

 spring, while others secure better results by fall sowing — 

 and in either case the successful farmer will advocate his 

 plan. But in either case, as Gen. Harding truthfully says, 

 a man will fail sometimes, let him sow when he will. No 

 amount of prescience is sufficient to foresee all the casual- 

 ties his labor is subject to, and for a man to give up or des- 

 pair for one or two or even three failures, argues but poorly 

 for his success as a farmer. He must continue to try, and 

 when he succeeds he will have the proud satisfaction of 

 knowing that he « master of the ground. 



A few words only are necessary in regard to the manner 

 of sowing. In the first place, the ground should be thor- 

 oughly prepared, and a season on hand, and if a rain has 

 fallen since the ground was put in order, and packed the 

 surface, run a sharp toothed harrow over it to break up the 

 crust, then sow the seed and roll it in. A light harrowing 

 will also do on clayey soils. If its surface is too rocky, 

 stumpy or sloping, to admit a roller, the next best thing is 

 to brush it with a light full brush. If the surface is 



