Witte: Breeding Timothy at Svalof 



299 



herently varying in different forms, 

 though it is difficult to make an exact 

 statement on account of the variability 

 in external conditions. 



WHICH CHARACTERS ARE MOST DESI- 

 RABLE ? 



Evidently all characters in timothy 

 are more or less subject to variation, but 

 all gradations of characters are com- 

 bined in nearly infinite numbers of dif- 

 ferent forms. Most of these are hy- 

 brids, at self-fertilization yielding an 

 offspring more or less uniform, splitting 

 up in different types. To produce per- 

 fectly constant timothy sorts is practi- 

 cally impossible. Breeding work, there- 

 fore, demands that one should chiefly 

 eliminate characters of a purely theoret- 

 ical interest and endeavor to gain the 

 highest possible uniformity concerning 

 practical characters. 



A timothy sort for ordinary 2 -years 

 lay should possess: 



1. Tall, not too stout, erect, compara- 

 tively stiff stems with short top inter- 

 nodes and relatively long base inter- 

 nodes. 



2. Vigorous, abundant stooling power. 



3. Profusion of leaves, perfectly fresh 

 at cutting. 



4. Rich aftergrowth. 



5. Satisfying hardiness. 



6. Highest possible resistance against 

 rust. 



7. Convenient earliness. 



8. Good development during the 

 second yielding year. 



A timothy sort for perennial pasture 

 should possess : 



1 . Vigorous stooling power. 



2. Early and abundant aftergrowth 

 after each grazing. 



3. Satisfying hardiness. 



4. Highest possible resistance to rust. 



5. Highly increased longevity. 



As a matter of course a high yield of 

 hay is the chief goal in timothy breed- 

 ing, but the importance of combining a 

 good seed production must not be over- 

 looked. For this purpose the following 

 characters are requisite: First, tall, stiff, 

 compact, uninterrupted heads; second, 

 big, plump, well-colored seeds, easily 

 loosening from empty glumes and with 

 well-fastened floral glumes; and_ third, 

 high ability of self-fertilization. 



ACTUAL PRACTICAL RESULTS AT S^'ALOF 



After the year of 1909 comparison 

 trials have been made with manifold 

 sorts selected at Svalof, but space iis too 

 limited for an account thereof. On a 

 basis of the above trials the two follow- 

 ing new sorts have been raised, intro- 

 duced, and distributed, namely, Primus 

 timothy and Gloria timothy. These 

 sorts have in trials at Svalof afforded 

 respectively 12 and 20% higher yield 

 than ordinary Swedish market seed, 

 thus indicating a marked progress. The 

 above sorts are resistnat to rust and are 

 high yielders of seed. 



Yield of Different Timothy Sorts in Trials at Svalof, 1909-1918 



