208 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



to the following points: The seed is cheap and generally of good 

 quality. A field of timothy is quickly established and usually holds 

 well. The grass seldom lodges, may be harvested over a longer period 

 than most grasses, and is easily cured into bright, clean hay which is 

 almost free from dust and can be handled with little waste. 



For horses timothy hay is the standard roughage, being preferred 

 especially by city buyers. (493) However, mixed clover and timothy 

 hay, or even legume hay alone, if of good quality, may be successfully 

 used in place of timothy. For dairy and beef cattle and for sheep 

 timothy is greatly inferior to hay from the legumes, for timothy is low in 

 protein and relatively low in lime. Moreover, it is not so well-liked by 

 these animals as is clover or alfalfa, and it does not have the beneficial 

 laxative effect of legume hay. Also, the yield of timothy is not large, for 

 it produces but little aftermath. Therefore, on most farms where timothy 

 is now extensively grown, greater use should be made of the legumes, 

 which not only yield more hay, but at the same time increase the fertility 

 of the land. Red or alsike clover should always be sown with timothy, 

 except when the hay is to be grown for sale and the demand is for pure 

 timothy, for the combination furnishes more and superior hay, even 

 for horses. Grown together, the hay of the first season will consist 

 largely of clover. With the close of the second season most of the 

 clover disappears and the decaying clover roots nourish the timothy 

 which remains. Thus a much larger yield of timothy is obtained, and it 

 also tends to be more nutritious, due to the fertilization by the clover 

 roots. 3 Fodder corn and hay from the cereals oats, wheat, or barley 

 are economical substitutes for timothy hay in many cases. 



313. When to cut timothy. -The most extensive data on the time to cut 

 timothy for hay are those of Waters and Schweitzer at the Missouri Sta- 

 tion. 4 During 3 seasons they determined the yield of dry matter in hay 

 from timothy cut at different stages, and also the yield of digestible 

 nutrients, as found by digestion trials with steers, with the results aver- 

 aged in the table: 



Yield of timothy cut at different stages 



Digestible nutrients per acre 



Dry matter Crude Carbo- Fat Total dig. 



per acre protein hydrates matter 



Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 



Coming into blossom 3,411 135 1,676 43 1,908 



Full bloom 3,964 147 1,867 44 2,113 



Seed formed 4,089 113 1,802 51 2,030 



Seed in dough 4,038 98 1,695 54 1,914 



Seedripe 3,747 92 1,576 38 1,754 



Cutting the crop when the seed had just formed gave the largest yield 

 of dry matter per acre, closely followed by the cutting made when the 

 seed was in the dough, and this in turn by the cutting made when the 

 plants were in full bloom. In view of the large storage of nutrients 



8 Minn. Bui. 101. *Mo. Research Buls. 19, 20. 



