Seeds of four pasture species were surface-sown in winter, spring, and summer and losses of seeds, seedlings, and plants during germination, radicle-entry, establishment, and survival noted under various treatments. On an unprotected soil surface losses during germination, radicle-entry and establishment were least in winter and greatest in summer. Dead plant cover on the surface reduced losses during germination and radicle-entry in the summer, while sub-irrigation reduced losses during germination in summer and radicle-entry and establishment in spring and summer. Losses during survival were heavy in all seasons, usually because of moisture stress. Other reasons for losses included harvesting of seeds by ants, damage by soil fauna, residual herbicides, and competition from weeds.

Seeds of Medicago sativa, Trifolium subterraneum, Lolium perenne aod Phalaris tuberosa were sown on different soil surfaces and the effects of strength, tilth and heterogeneity of the surface on the entry of the radicle into the soil were noted.On a level, finely structured soil surface prepared in the lahoratory slight increases in soil strength markedly reduced percentage radicleentry. At constant soil strength, radicle-entry was greater on coarse than on fine tilth; which helped to explain the higher percentage radicleentry on heterogeneous soil surfaces taken from the field compared with the level, finely structured surface, prepared in the laboratory despite the lower soil strength of the latter.As conditions for radicle-entry hecame less favourahle (stronger, smoother surface) the rate of radicle-entry became slower and there was a greater use of radicle-entry methods in which the radicle was more exposed to desiccation.The radicle-entry ability of the four species declined in the order: perennial ryegrass

Synopsis Cereal rye and hairy vetch when sod‐sown into Midland bermudagrass provided a well integrated supply of forage in early spring prior to active Midland growth in summer. Rye produced the earliest spring yields and outyielded barley, field bromegrass, ryegrass, and wheat in that order. Vetch produced high mid and late spring yields. Rye and vetch yields were similar when planted on 3 dates between September 22 and October 14, but November 22 plantings resulted in lower yields. A rye‐vetch mixture outyielded either species alone by approximately 76%.

Synopsis Two recently developed sod‐seeder openers have produced successful establishment of a small‐seeded legume (birdsfoot trefoil) in an old establshed bluegrass sward. Both were superior to the conventional opener which left only a narrow slit in the sod. The use of a presswheel improved establishment following the disk but not the wing opener. Granular heptachlor over the row at seeding resulted in improved stands one out of two years.

A gradient seeder, designed to produce a uniform change in seeding rate in proportion to the distance travelled, is described. A 'Grasslands' sodseeder was converted by attaching a male thread to the shaft operating the fluted seed flow mechanism and changing the drive system. From seed weights obtained at intervals along the gradient, calibration curves were constructed for vetch (Vicia satlva L.), subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) and Glycine javanica L. A comparison was made between the conventional and gradient methods of studying the effect of seeding rate on the establishment of vetch and subterranean clover.