History and Characteristics of Timothy 541 



eastern Canada, and, in limited areas, on the Pacific coast. It is 

 most at home here because of the fairly cool climate and the 

 relatively abundant rainfall. 



The temperature requirements are interesting and important. 

 In a general way it is at its best in those regions bordering the 

 Canadian line, and south of Pennsylvania it tends to give place to 

 other grasses. On the other hand, it is said to grow luxuriantly 

 far north in the province of Quebec, Canada, where the winter 

 temperatures are exceedingly low. 



Where other conditions are right, timothy will benefit from 

 abundant rainfall ; hence we find that only in seasons when there 

 is an abnormally large supply of moisture does it reach its best 

 development in our state. On the other hand, the plant fails 

 under the semiarid conditions of the states in the plains. 



The ideal timothy soil is one that is fertile, with a good per- 

 centage of clay, and one that is naturally moist wdth a water table 

 not too far below the surface. These conditions are most nearly 

 fulfilled on certain alluvial river bottoms, and on such lands it may 

 continue to yield heavy crops almost indefinitely without reseeding. 



The type of growth of the plant is notably influenced by the 

 soil. On rich, moist lands it tillers freely and the root system 

 is markedly fibrous; when grown qn poor, dry locations, the 

 plants are relatively dwarfed, but the bulb-like enlargements 

 at the base of the stems or culms are more highly developed. 



COMPOSITION 



From the standpoint of the dairyman needing protein roughage, 

 the composition of the timothy plant is unfortunate because of the 

 comparatively low content of protein and the large percentage of 

 carbohydrates and rather mipalatahle fiber. These unfavorable 

 qualities grow more marked as the plant matures. An average of 

 68 American analyses of timothy hay show an average of only 5.9 

 per cent of protein, and it is estimated that only about 48 per cent 

 of this is digestible. It may be said in passing that tables of 

 digestibility are far less dependable than our knowledge of per- 

 centage composition. The foregoing may be compared with an 

 average of 12.3 per cent of protein in red clover hay with a digest- 



