MEADOW (AS. mod, ()Fries. node, meadow, 011C. mata-screch, grasshopper, f?cr..1 1(11 ie. mead ow; probably connected with ()lit:. aura, tier. ashen. .\S. matron, Eng. molt. I at. m Oen-, arnan, to reap. Dlr. nreithe1, party of reap ers). A tract of low. level land, especially upon the margin of a stream. in which the dominant plant forms are grasses. Prairies may be considered as extensive meadows. SouW• writers hold that meadows are the product of artitieial others that they are mit lira I formations. seems scarcely to be that alpine meadows are natural. either because tree, fail to obtain a foothold on account of snow-slides or bee:inst. the snow re mains long in suet situations, and grasses take possession during the short summer if there is sullieient soil moisture. Along streams, meadows are probably due to continued grazing or mow ing. because tree vegetal inn nay be kept down by such agencies. (111 the other hand. they are eX rentely onfayeralde for the development of trees. which might fail to 111.Ve101) even in a region specially favorable to tree growth. since seeds would germinate with difficulty. Donee a meadow• may perpetuate itself naturally, even lanedi originally artilleial, Beside: the grasses. other plants are found in meadows. among which are many species of vernal herbs. \Odell mature before mowing time arrive:. Some botanists. as Welnstein. believe that plants have acquired cer tain habits which adapt them to life in meadows that are annually mowed.
Prom an agricultural standpoint n meadow• is either a lowland or an upland field upon which hay or pasture• grasses grow from self sown or hand-sown seed. They are also per- if manent or temporary as well as natural and artificial. When the grasses are feel down by stock, meadows are called pastures. For artifi cial meadows the soil is plowed deeply and brought to the very best condition before the seed is sown. A rich. clean soil of tine tilth adds greatly to the weight of the crop. Fre quently grass seed is sown with small grain as a nurse crop. but the practice is not always successful. since the faster growing cereal de prives the young grasses of light, and they con sequently fail. The best method is to sow the grass seed broadcast without a nurse crop. Thoothy, red.top. fescue-grass. oat-grass, rye-grass, blue grass, bent-grass, and many other grasses are very commonly grown either as mixtures or alone. Timothy is often grown as a single crop. Clover is frequently added to a grass mixture. a mixture is grown for hay, grasses which bloom about the same time are selected. but when used for pas ture species that ripen at different tinu•s are preferred. 'Mowing machines and other imple ments have quite revolutionized haymaking within the last fifty years, and have enabled the farmer to make use of more extensive meadows than when all the work was done by hand. See also IlAv and