28 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



later, as the pollen makes the hay dusty, which is avoided by waiting. 

 It sometimes happens that, on account of lack of moisture, the first 

 growth is light and abundant rains in June or July may cause a 

 strong second growth to spring up, which will not be in its prime 

 until the first has reached an advanced stage of development. In 

 such cases it would be more profitable to cut late, provided the proper 



Erecautions are observed as to the condition in which the soil should 

 e left. There is a growing sentiment in favor of cutting timothy 

 with the self-binder for hay as well as for seed, and the practice has 

 much to commend it. With right treatment the hay cures well, is 

 much more easily handled and fed, and can be stored in a more 

 limited space than when cut in the ordinary way. 



Timothy hay may be decidedly improved by growing a small 

 amount of clover along with it, nor is bluegrass mixture objection- 

 able, except where present the grass must be cut early. Timothy 

 can not be pastured when the soil is dry, as stock is very liable to 

 injure the bulbs, but in low meadows it stands grazing fairly well in 

 the spring, but cattle should not be allowed to graze on it in the fall. 

 If timothy is to be used for grazing purposes it should be in a meadow 

 containing bluegrass, redtop, timothy or clover. The clover readily 

 perpetuates itself and helps the timothy, in that the soil is less com- 

 pact. (Iowa B. 56.) 



Price of Hay for Forty Years. The price received for hay is 

 the governing factor in determining the profits in growing hay. As 

 shown by the average farm value of hay per ton for the first five-year 

 period of the forty years from 1865 to 1905 was $10.61 for the 

 United States and $8.75 for the ten leading timothy-hay-producing 

 States. The highest five-year period for both groups was from 1870 

 to 1875. These prices have not been equaled since that time, 

 although the farm value since 1900 is higher than it has been since 

 1885. The average farm value per ton for the forty years was 

 $9.30 for the United States, as compared with $8.58 for the ten 

 timothy States. 



Timothy is often said to be "hard" on the soil. This is because 

 neither timothy nor any other grass can add any plant food to the 

 soil in the manner that the legumes do, but must get all of its food 

 from the soil ; and it is therefore much more exhaustive of the avail- 

 able plant food in the soil than clover. 



There is quite a difference in the amount of plant food con- 

 tained in different kinds of hay plants. For example, one ton of 

 timothy hay contains, on an average, 20 pounds of nitrogen, 10 

 pounds of phosphorus, and 28 pounds of potassium. If bought in 

 the form of a commercial fertilizer, nitrogen is worth 20 cents a 

 pound and the other two elements are valued at 5 cents each per 

 pound. On this basis the fertilizing value of a ton of timothy hay 

 will amount to $5.90, or $6 in round numbers. One ton of clover 

 hay contains, on an average, 40 pounds of nitrogen, 8 pounds of 

 phosphorus, and 40 pounds of potassium, which makes its fertilizing 

 value amount to $10.40. According to these figures it would seem 

 that there is less loss of plant food in growing timothy than when 



