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BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



as well as some others, having small bulbs at the ground, with 

 fine roots just beneath them, which are injured by heavy 

 pasturing. This grass is generally somewhat coarse, but if 

 it is thickly seeded, more plants grow to the acre, and as a 

 result they are finer and more palatable. Timothy cut and 

 cured immediately after the pollen falls from the blossom 

 makes the best hay. Under usual conditions, this is an 

 excellent hay for horses, but not so well suited to cattle and 



sheep. Care should be 

 taken to see that tim- 

 othy hay is bright and 

 free from dust. 



Red top is a fine grass 

 in appearance, and makes 

 an excellent pasture. It 

 is quite common in cer- 

 tain sections North and 

 South, but is not gener- 

 ally abundant in the 

 cooler grass-growing sec- 

 tions, probably doing better on the damper lowlands 

 than elsewhere. It makes a very palatable and nu- 

 tritious hay. 



Orchard grass is common in some sections in the north- 

 eastern parts of the United States. It grows in tussocks, 

 or bunches, so that the turf from this plant is somewhat 

 uneven; hence is not liked so well as some other grasses for 

 pasture. It starts up early in spring, and has a strong, rather 

 coarse growth, with hardly as smooth a stem as timothy. It 

 is not quite as nutritious as timothy, ranking just below it. 

 It may be grown to advantage with red clover, and often 

 is, in tile Middle West. It is best suited for horses and cattle, 

 though should be cut as hay before getting very ripe. 



Fig. 154. A good cover for the stack 

 of hay. Photograph by courtesy Prof. A. G. 

 McCall. 



