12 THE FORAGE AND FIBER CROPS IN AMERICA 



be due to an abundance of some plant food, such as phos- 

 phoric acid. 



9. Prolificacy. An essential feature of a cultivated grass is 

 that seed for sowing may be secured at a reasonable cost. This 

 depends upon the number of seeds produced per plant, the 

 usual percentage of germination, cost of harvesting and 

 preparing for market, and the number of plants required per 

 unit of area to secure a satisfactory stand. One of the most 

 valuable characteristics of timothy is the fact that the seed 

 required to sow an acre can be purchased for less than any 

 other cultivated grass, because it produces seed abundantly, 

 has high germinating power, is easily harvested and prepared 

 for market, and a relatively small number of plants is required 

 to produce a good stand. On the other hand, Kentucky blue 

 grass seed is more difficult to harvest, greater care is required 

 in preparing for market, and its power of germination as it 

 occurs in commerce is much less. 



The cultivation of certain grasses and clovers is practically 

 prohibited because of the lack of prolificacy as, for example, 

 big blue stem (Andropogon provincialis Lam.), reed grass, 

 zigzag clover, and Trifolium pannonicum Jacq. This latter is 

 a perennial clover of apparently high value, were it not for 

 the difficulty of securing seed. 



10. Number of Plants Per Acre. At the Cornell Station sin- 

 gle plants of timothy when grown alone have given at a single 

 cutting 1.25 pounds of well cured hay. Only 3,200 such plants 

 would be required per acre to produce 2 tons of hay, or one 

 plant to about every 14 square feet. There was obtained from 

 3,600 two-year-old plants at the Cornell Station a ton of hay, 

 this being the number left from 7,200 plants on an acre, each 

 30. inches apart. When the minimum amount of timothy seed 

 is sown per acre namely, about 9 pounds about 10,000,000 

 seeds are sown, or over 200 per square foot. Grass mixtures 



