204 THE SOILS A^D CROPS OF THE FARM. 



be as good a seeding as two and one-half bushels, or 

 35 pounds, of orchard grass. In other words, the 

 cost of seed to sow an acre of orchard grass would 

 be seven and one-half times as great as to seed an 

 acre of timothy.^ 



Timothy produces but one crop in a season, and 

 does not produce much aftermath. It often grows 

 very little for a couple of months after the crop is 

 harvested. In dry, hot seasons the lack of vegetation, 

 especially when mown close to the ground, causes the 

 plant to be injured. It is better, therefore, where 

 such danger exists, to mow rather high. 



Timothy does not start to grow early in the spring, 

 which, coupled with the last mentioned feature, and 

 the fact that if not cropped closely it becomes coarse 

 ^nd woody, makes it less _djlsir able for pasturage 

 than some other grasses. In some localities it does 

 not seem to be strictly perennial. That is, it disap- 

 pears without being replaced by other grasses when 

 constantly pastured. In England, Sutton says, the 

 only objection to it for a rotation is the trouble of get- 

 ting rid of it when the meadow is broken up. 



Timothy is what is called a late grass, being ready to 

 cut in July. This is a great advantage for this coun- 

 try as it can be much more easily cured and with so 

 much less risk of injury to quality than if it was cut in 

 June, both because it cures more quickly and because 

 there are in general a less number of days of rain-fall 

 in July than in June. 



It has been customary to recommend that timothy 

 should be cut in bloom or just passed bloom. The 

 following table gives the yield per acre of the dry mat- 

 ter or water- free substance of timothy cut at dif- 



