MEADOW, Making and Care of. Mead ows may be divided into general groups which will depend upon location, duration and pur pose, and their treatment will vary with each of these factors. Meadows located upon low ground, which may be inundated, or which is constantly moist, usually consist of grasses and other plants which do not thrive so well upon upland fields. Because of their dampness they cannot be treated like dry soils and they are therefore more frequently permanent than tem porary. Further, they are generally better adapted for haying than for grazing, because the grasses that naturally grow upon them are ranker, taller growing species and generally have grown to a considerable height before the land becomes dry enough to turn stock upon it. Except as to season the preparation of lowland meadows is not necessarily different from that of upland.
For best results the land should be deeply plowed as early in the season as soil conditions will permit, and harrowed at intervals of 10 days and after each rain that forms a crust until late summer. The practice will not only destroy weeds and weed seeds, but ensure the quick germination of grass seed sown even in dry weather, the soil being moist close to the surface. The soil may be anything, but prefer ably not sand or clay. If mucky, as in a reclaimed swamp, rolling is frequently ad visable, otherwise generally not. Prior to plow ing liberal applications of good manure or com mercial fertilizers should be made and light annual dressings should also be given, prefer ably in autumn or early spring. Temporary pastures which are intended to last only three or four years should constitute part of a gen eral rotation scheme (see ROTATION OF CROPS) and should be followed by some crop such as corn or potatoes, which can best utilize their products of decomposition. Permanent mead
ows should be inspected each spring and the spots which appear to be failing given special attention, such as fertilizing, liming, seeding, etc., to maintain a general good average. When the annual yield of hay falls below two tons the meadow may be considered unprofitable and should be plowed up and given a change of crop for three or four years.
In general, timothy or °herd's-grass° is the i most popular grass in America, because it is hardy, long-lived, large, easily cured and its seed inexpensive and likely to be free from weed seed. Orchard grass, tall meadow fescue, red-top, rye-grass and cat-grass are also often used, but are secondary. Blue-grass, which generally appears as a volunteer grass in per manent meadows, is rarely profitable as a hay grass, but is unequaled in the north as a pasture grass. These grasses may all be sown with a sparsely planted cereal which acts as a • nurse crop.° But this practice is consid ered inexpedient. The admixture of clover, however, is generally highly desirable, since the clovers supply nitrogenous food to the grasses. Alsike clover is considered best for mixing with timothy since it is somewhat later in ripening than the other large clovers, which mature before the timothy can be profitably cut. Consult Wing, Joseph E, 'Meadows and Pastures' (Chicago 1911)