Ill 



PERENNIAL FORAGE GRASSES 



I. TIMOTHY 



48. Name. Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) ; synonyms: 

 Herd's grass, meadow cat's tail. The name timothy comes from 

 Timothy Hanson or Hanso, of Maryland, who is said to have 

 introduced the seed from England in 1720 and who is respon- 

 sible for its distribution through Virginia and Carolina. The 

 name Herd's grass is from John Herd, who is said to have 

 found it growing wild in a swamp in New Hampshire as early 

 as 1700 and began its cultivation, resulting in its distribution 

 through New England and New York. Meadow cat's tail, 

 the oldest name given to the grass, is due to the appearance 

 of the head. 



49. Relationships. Timothy is closely related to meadow fox- 

 tail and is the only cultivated grass for which it could with 

 any possibility be mistaken. The latter, however, may be 

 distinguished by its shorter and more ovate head, the bent 

 dorsal awn of the flowering glume, and differences in the shape 

 of the grain and of the outer glumes. There are about ten 

 more or less definitely recognized species of the genus Phleum, 

 the most important of which, aside from the species under con- 

 sideration, is mountain timothy (Phleum alpinum L.). 



50. Description. The plant, as compared with other perennial 

 forage grasses, has rather deep roots. Stolons are commonly, 

 although apparently not always, present. Culms vary in height 

 from a few inches to 6 feet, commonly 2 to 4 feet. They are 

 usually rigid and erect, although sometimes decumbent at the 

 base, prostrate, or even kneed. Usually there are two to seven 



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