44 FODDER AND PASTURE PLANTS. 



TIMOTHY (Phletim 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 

 has a 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 

 introduced 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. 



