Grasses and Sorghums 



169 



clover. The chief timothy-producing region lies north of the 

 Ohio River and east of the Missouri River. The grass is also 

 grown in the northern part of the Pacific Coast States. It is 

 not well adapted to the South, being easily killed in summer, 

 In money value timothy leads all other grasses 

 grown for hay. 



Timothy is named from Timothy Hanson of 

 Maryland who, it is said, introduced the grass 

 from England about 1720. It is recorded that 

 a man by the name of John Herd was culti- 

 vating the grass in New Hampshire about 1747 

 and in New England and some other sections 

 it was long known as Herd's grass. The com- 

 mon name now in most sec- 

 tions is timothy, although in 

 parts of New England the 

 name Herd's grass still per- 

 sists. This is unfortunate, 

 because this name is used in 

 some sections for redtop. 



Timothy (Fig. 62) is an erect- 

 growing plant with an average 

 height of two to four feet. The head is a spike 

 from three to four inches long. The leaves are 

 not abundant and usually grow near the base 

 of the plant. New stems are produced by 

 tillering and also by means of short stolons ; 

 often a single plant in a few years will produce 

 a clump a foot or so in diameter. Two or 

 three crops of timothy are generally produced 

 before the ground is broken up and under very 

 favorable conditions fields have been kept in timothy for eight 

 to ten years or even longer. 



Kentucky blue-grass. The most used pasture and lawn 

 grass is Kentucky blue-grass, or June-grass as it is sometimes 



FIG. 62. 

 Timothy. 



FIG. 63. Ken- 

 tucky blue-grass. 



