370 The Improvement of Grass Land. [july^ 



The lecturer advised late sowing, and referred to the value 

 of rape as a nurse crop. It is essential to reduce the seeding 

 per acre to the minimum, and with greater attention to the 

 preparation of tilth, the question of nurse crop, depth of sowing, 

 and the precise time and weather conditions under which to 

 sow, the seeding per acre could often be reduced, in some cases 

 perhaps by 50 per cent. 



The experience of the lecturer has indicated that it does not 

 matter very much at what time seeds are sown between the 

 middle of May and the end of July or middle of August, 

 provided that they go down on a good clean tilth not too deep, 

 and during a 10- to 14-day spell of warm showery weather. 



The Choice of Seeds Mixture. — ^The first essential in a plant 

 for sward promotion is " late maturity," i.e., late flowering, 

 which is not necessarily correlated with late production of 

 leaves, but only with greater production of leaves. Wild 

 white clover and late-fiowering red clover form the bedrock 

 of a good ley. The former gives density, contends against 

 weeds and builds up the fertility. The latter is the red clover 

 for a ley, because it lasts ; good strains may last for four years, 

 and others will invariably last for two. The lecturer urged 

 his audience to be more careful about their stocks ; to 

 concentrate far more on late-flowering red clover ; to build 

 up strains derived from seed long grown in this country and 

 not from imported seed ; to take care to grow for seed on a clean 

 field ; and to grow specially for seed by sowing in drills and 

 keeping the fields scuffled. 



Professor Stapledon stated that he would rather depend 

 on the few species of clovers and grasses that offer certain 

 success than include a large number as a sort of "shot at a 

 venture." In his opinion it would be desirable to purchase 

 wild white clover (Jib. per acre is often enough), late-flowering 

 red clover, good cocksfoot, rough-stalked meadow grass and 

 Timothy. 



With the help of wild white clover and with careful manage- 

 ment one can establish a temporary ley that will savour 

 strongly of the permanent sward. As years go on, a wider 

 selection of valuable strains of herbage plants should certainly 

 be available. The ley, too, will often have the advantage 

 that it will be much less weedy. 



Top Dressingre.— If phosphatic manures do not produce 

 the desired results, the reason may generally be attributed 

 to one of the following limiting factors : — 



