G94 

 (leaf 2) 



tation exceeds 40 inches per year. Timothy can usually be intro- 

 duced at a lower cost than any of the other highly desirable species 

 because the seed is inexpensive compared with that of most other 

 cultivated forage plants. Eight to fifteen pounds of seed per acre 

 is required to produce a good stand. It seldom, if ever, pays to sow 

 less than 8 pounds per acre on the range, since seed can usually be 

 obtained for 5 to 15 cents a pound. This grass is especially valuable 

 for reseeding, with such a slow-starting perennial as Kentucky 

 bluegrass. 4 



Timothy becomes established by the second year after seeding and, 

 because of its usual luxuriant growth, produces a great abundance 

 of nutritious forage. The herbage is highly palatable to all classes 

 of livestock, being rated as very good for cattle and horses and good 

 for sheep. Elk consume the plants with relish and deer sometimes 

 crop them lightly. This plant stands up very well if properly grazed 

 but is not resistant to heavy grazing, as the "bulbs" are easily injured 

 by close pasturing and heavy trampling. Timothy is known to have 

 held up for 12 years or longer on good range lands, but ordinarily 

 the stands tend to die out in about 6 or 7 years. In localities where 

 fertile seed is produced the stands usually maintain themselves satis- 

 factorily and the seed is often carried by livestock, wind, and other 

 agencies to adjoining areas. At the higher elevations where the grow- 

 ing season is too short for viable seed to mature, this species does 

 not revegetate naturally. However, on such sites where timothy 

 may become readily established, the low cost of seed justifies its use 

 in artificial reseeding. 



Timothy is an outstanding crop plant in this country, with an 

 annual value running into hundreds of millions of dollars. Piper 3 

 states that "the extent of its culture is four times as great as that 

 of all other hay grasses combined and equal to that of all other 

 hay plants, including clover and alfalfa." Timothy hay is the stand- 

 ard for all grass hay sold on the market. It has a rather high 

 palatability combined with a moderate nutritive value, and because 

 of its slight laxative effect it is practically impossible to injure an 

 animal by overfeeding. It is especially valued for horse feed but 

 is considered inferior to alfalfa and clover for fattening stock or 

 feeding dairy cows. 



The bulk of timothy hay grown in the United States is produced 

 in the northeastern portion of the country, the region extending 

 west to the Missouri Kiver and southward to Missouri and Vir- 

 ginia. This grass is, however, also widely grown for hay in the 

 West. In most western localities irrigation is necessary for success- 

 ful production, although it is grown without irrigation in some of 

 the moister valleys and on the northwest coast. This plant is espe- 

 cially popular in some of the high mountain valleys too cool for 

 the most successful growing of alfalfa. It is often sown in mixture 

 with red or alsike clover, redtop, and, in some localities, with alfalfa. 

 The mixed hay generally yields better and has a higher feeding 

 value for cattle and sheep than timothy alone. 



