METHODS OF EEESTABLISHING BUFFALO GRASS 



11 



use of sod material equivalent to the amount needed to space 12-inch 

 squares of sod 3 feet apart. By this method one-ninth of an acre of 

 cut sod will cover an acre of cultivated land. 



OPTIMUM TRANSPLANTING SEASON 



Buffalo grass has been successfully transplanted at Hays every 

 month from March to August, inclusive. The moisture content of 

 the sods at transplanting time and the rainfall conditions afterwards 

 determine the rapidity of spread to a greater extent than the month in 

 which the work is done. The slight differences noted for the dates of 

 transplanting indicate that the best time is in early spring after 

 growth has started and following a heavy rain. 





Figure 7.— A hand-made sod cutter used at the Hays Station in cutting two strips of sod 6 inches wide 



at one operation. 



The work at Hays usually was conducted when the sods were fairly 

 moist, although some very dry sods have been moved. Dry sods are 

 more inclined to crumble and break in handling, and the drier sods 

 require a longer time for recovery and renewal of growth. In certain 

 instances sods were dug, stacked in the open, allowed to become com- 

 pletely dry, and then carefully transplanted in comparison with freshly 

 dug sods. A thorough soaking of some of the dry sods forced them to 

 start growth as rapidly as the freshly transplanted but nonirrigated 

 sods. Most of the dry nonirrigated sods recovered from the enforced 

 period of dormancy following rain, but they spread much slower at 

 first than those which were transplanted without drying. No at- 

 tempt has been made to move the sods in midwinter, but doubtless 

 this may be done with fair success if the sods are well saturated with 

 moisture and the ground is not frozen. 



