26 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



timothy hay for sale, the farmer should make sure that his soil is 

 not sour ; and if found to be so, he must apply lime. On soils which 

 are not sour, heavy applications of barnyard manure bring the land 

 into good condition for timothy; and if it be desired to produce 

 market hay, it will usually be best not to use potash largely in con- 

 nection with the manure for the crops preceding the grass. For 

 market hay, heavy applications of nitrogen manures or fertilizers 

 and relatively light applications of materials containing either pot- 

 ash or phosphoric acid should be the rule. (Mass. E S. B 134, 

 1910.) 



Timothy is more generally cultivated in the United States as a 

 whole, and in Canada, than any other grass. Indeed, probably 

 more than all other grasses combined. It is adapted to a great varie- 

 ty of soils, though it does best upon rich, moist loams and clays. 

 It is distinctly a grass for hay rather than pasture. It may be used 

 in pasture mixtures for early or temporary pasturage, but it will soon 

 give place to the better sod-forming grasses, as it does not take kindly 

 to close grazing and tramping. As a meadow grass, however, it 

 stands at the head. 



Rotation. Timothy is grown by many farmers in a four or five 

 year rotation, being seeded with clover in wheat or oats. The first 

 year of meadow, clover is the principal crop; the second year, 

 timothy predominates. Near good city markets it is often grown 

 year after year without reference to rotation, good yields being main- 

 tained by annual dressings of manure or other fertilizers. Timothy, 

 like other sods, is valuable in maintaining the humus supply of the 

 soil. Such sods are usually plowed for corn. Old sods are likely 

 to be infested with insect pests and should be plowed if possible 

 during freezing weather. 



Popularity. The popularity of timothy among farmers is easily 

 accounted for. It lies in its good yield; in its palatability ; in the 

 ease and cheapness with which it is harvested ; in the great demand 

 at good prices for timothy hay ; in the moderate expense of seeding 

 an acre to timothy; in the good germination of seed and the relative 

 certainty of securing a stand, and in its longevity when properly 

 cared for. With annual dressings of manure or, in the absence of 

 manure, of nitrate of soda supplemented with acid phosphate and 

 muriate of potash, and, when needed, lime, timothy may be made to 

 give good yields of hay indefinitely. Ordinarily this would not be 

 desirable, but under certain conditions it is admissible. 



Disadvantages. In common with all the grasses timothy is 

 lacking in ability to utilize the nitrogen of the atmosphere through 

 the aid of such micro-organisms as co-operate with clover and other 

 legumes, and is consequently a much more exhaustive crop on land 

 than clover. While timothy cannot take the place of clover ^in a 

 rotation, it should be recognized that the grasses leave crop residues 

 in the way of sods of great value in maintaining the supply of 

 humus. In so far as furnishing a crop of aftermath is concerned, 

 timothy can not be counted upon to do very much during an average 

 season. Only in case of exceptional rainfall during July and August 



