THE THREE LEADING FORAGE GRASSES 



57 



depends upon the purity of the seed, but fortunately for 

 the grower, timothy seed is usually of a fairly high grade 

 of purity and viability. It is customary to use 12 to 18 

 pounds per acre. If clover is used, the amount of seed 

 is about 8 pounds per acre. Timothy 

 seed weighs 45 pounds per bushel. 



DESCRIPTION 



A perennial grass usually 2 to 3 feet 

 tall, smooth, from a somewhat bulb- 

 ous base, growing in small tufts. 

 Leaves flat, in the larger plants as 

 much as a foot long. Panicle or head 

 a dense cylindrical spike 2 to 5 inches 

 long. Anthers bluish. 



Details of the Spikelet. Spikelet 

 strongly flattened, 1 -flowered, about 

 3 mm. long; glumes equal, oblong, long- 

 ciliate on the keel, rounded to a short 

 awn 1 to 2 mm.* long; lemma and 

 palea about equal, ^hin and pale, 

 about half as long as the glumes. 

 The seed of commerce is the caryopsis, 

 mostly enclosed in its lemma and 

 palea. 



Common Names. Timothy is the 

 name most widely used for this grass, this name coming 

 from that of Timothy Hanson who is said to have in- 

 troduced it into this country. In some localities this 

 species is known as Herd's grass, a name which is also 

 used for redtop. 



* A millimeter (mm.) is about 1/25 of an inch. 



4. Timothy. A 

 single head, the 

 lower part in flower, 

 the stamens pro- 

 truding. 



