SOWING GEASS SEEDS. 95 



Having reached this conclusion, it is, satisfactory to remember 

 that in addition to the chance it affords of making a thoroughly 

 sound seed-bed, the temperature of the land in autumn is highly 

 favourable to the germination of grass seeds, particularly in 

 the North of England. Further benefit is to be derived from 

 the clearing of successive crops of annual weeds, most of 

 which would have appeared among the grasses of an earUer 

 sowing. 



The danger of an autumn sowing mainly concerns the 

 clovers. Young grasses, especially of the coarser varieties, will 

 stand much winter cold with impunity. Not so the clovers, 

 although when established they also will endure severe weather 

 unharmed. But while young, a wet cold winter will almost 

 certainly make an end of them. A retentive soil will foster a 

 magnificent pasture containing plenty of clovers when once the 

 plants are estabhshed, and yet on such soils it will frequently 

 prove most difficult to establish clovers from a sowing of seed in 

 autumn. 



As to the best month for autumn sowing, it must not be for- 

 gotten that grass seeds are peculiarly liable to be ' malted ' under 

 a burning sun when the ground is not moist enough to keep the 

 plants going. A slight thunder shower upon a dry soil, followed 

 by scorching sunshine, is quite sufficient to do the mischief, and 

 many failures of autumn- as well as of spring-sown seeds are 

 attributable to this cause alone. Even when the failure is not 

 total, it is a serious matter if the finer grasses are killed and only 

 the coarser varieties survive. For it is very difllicult to establish 

 the finer grasses after the stronger varieties have had a six 

 months' start. As a consequence the pasture may always be 

 inferior in quality. 



Supposing, however, that the soil is not too dry, and is other- 

 wise in good condition, sowing in August is to be commended, 

 and the earlier the better. The plants will then have a chance 

 of becoming fairly established before winter sets in. The first 

 week in September is, in most seasons, the latest date at which a 



