nd
to occupy it to the exclusion of other plants for several years, as a
rule, and no tillage can be given. The rule is to sow such seeds after
tilled crops have been grown, and some weed seed has been destroyed,
but there is evidence on every hand that the weed seed remains in
abundance. Summer preparation for grass gives opportunity to destroy a
great part of the seeds in the surface of the ground, and it is only
when they are near the surface that the seeds of most weeds will
germinate. Deep harrowings, continued up to time of planting, not only
rob land of water, but they bring to the surface new lots of seed that
had been safely buried, and become a part of the actual seeding when
the grass, clover, or alfalfa is sown. The obviously right method of
preparing for planting is to use only a surface harrow for a few weeks
previous to seeding time, stirring the ground after every rain to the
depth of three inches, or near that, and destroying the plants soon
after germination of the seed. The process which is right for holding
moisture is right for cleansing the ground.

Summer Grasses.--One of the worst pests is the annual grasses,
springing up in June, July, and August. They are responsible for many
failures to obtain stands of alfalfa, clover, and the valuable grasses.
The delay in seeding until August is due largely to this pest. When
seedings are made in the spring, or in June, failure is invited where
these grasses have a fast hold. The only effective way of combating
them is to make the ground firm enough to encourage germination, and to
stir the surface whenever a growth starts. The late seeding is the one
means of escape, and if there is fertility and moisture, the newly
seeded crop becomes well rooted by winter and takes the ground so
completely that there is little room for weeds to start the next year.

Sowing the Seed.--Partial failure with August seeding is due to faulty
methods. We are accustomed to broadcasting clover seed on top of the
wheat fields and obtaining a stand of plants. A majority of the seeds
do not become buried in the soil, or only very slightly, and yet
germinate. Moisture is necessary, but in the spring, when this method
is used, there is moisture at the surface of the ground under the wheat
plants much of the time. The conditions respecting moisture are not
unfavorable in most springs, and we come to think that a small seed
should not be buried much if any. In the autumn, again, we sow