PERENNIAL FORAGE GRASSES 



59 



stand will be obtained oftencr, probably, by sowing in the fall, 

 except in the dry prairie states of the Northwest, where spring 

 sowing is best. The seed should be well covered and probably 

 more deeply than is the general practise. Sowing the seed 

 in front of the hoes of the wheat drill brings good average 

 results in some localities, while sowing behind the hoes is 

 preferred in other sections. Timothy may be sown with any 

 small cereal, but probably rye is the best and oats the poorest 

 crop for this purpose. In some localities it is sown alone in 

 the autumn and a crop harvested the following summer. (25) 



58. Time of Cutting. Timothy is what is called a late grass, 

 being ready to cut in July. This is a great advantage for this 

 country, since it can be much more easily cured and with so 

 much less risk of injury to quality than if it were cut in June, 

 both because it cures more quickly and because there is in 

 general a less number of days of. rainfall in July than in June. 



It has been customary to recommend that timothy should be 

 cut in bloom or just past bloom. The following table gives 

 the yield per acre of the dry matter or water-free substance 

 of timothy cut at different dates, as determined by three ex- 

 periment stations: 



Table Showing Influence of Maturity on Yield of Dry Matter 



The rate is stated in pounds per acre 



There was not only an increase in the total weight of dry 



