44 FODDER AND PASTURE PLANTS. 
TIMOTHY (Phleum pratense L.). 
Plate 3; Seed, Plate 26, Fig. 7.. 
Other English names: Meadow Cat’s Tail, Herd’s Grass. 
Botanical description: Timothy is a perennial grass which 
hasa very short rootstock and therefore grows in more or less compact 
tufts. The stems, which reach a height of from one to four feet or 
more, are smooth and generally erect. Especially on dry and hard 
soil the base of the stems is thickened into a kind of bulb, which 
contains a supply of nutritive matter of a peculiar kind. The leaves, 
which when in bud are rolled inward from one side, are generally 
short compared with the height of the plant. The spikelets are 
arranged in a dense, cylindrical, spikelike inflorescence, each spikelet 
containing but one flower enclosed in a pair of acutely keeled glumes, 
which are not fastened together as in Meadow Foxtail. In shape 
and size the spikes of Timothy and Meadow Foxtail are somewhat 
similar, but that of Timothy feels rough when touched, whereas the 
spike of Meadow Foxtail is very soft. When in flower the arrange- 
ment of the male and female organs is conducive to cross-fertil- 
ization, which is effected by air currents. 
Geographical distribution: Timothy is indigenous to Europe 
with the exception of Turkey. It is also a native of northern Africa 
and large portions of western Asia and Siberia. It was introduced 
into North America with the early settlers, and is now generally 
cultivated throughout the northern United States and the eastern 
provinces of Canada. 
History: Although a native of Europe, the value of Timothy was 
first recognized in North America. It was brought to Maryland 
about 1720 by Timothy Hanson, after whom it was named. The 
name Herd’s Grass, which is used in New England, is said to be 
derived from a Mr. Herd, who found it in New Hampshire and intro- 
duced it into cultivation. 
Cultural conditions: For cold, moist or wet lands, particu- 
larly for heavy clay soils, Timothy is superior to any other grass 
for hay. It succeeds best on moist loams and clays. It does not 
thrive on sour lands or on soils liable to become parched during 
drought, such as impoverished sandy soils or shallow soils over rocks. 
