CHAPTER VII 

 TIMOTHY 



TIMOTHY is by far the most important hay grass in 

 America. A peculiar interest attaches to this crop because 

 its first cultivation was on this continent, though the plant 

 is of Old World origin. Its American given name has be- 

 come adopted in all languages. 



105. Botany. Timothy (Phleum pratense) belongs 

 to a genus in which botanists recognize 10 species. All 

 of these are confined to the Old World with the exception 

 of Mountain Timothy (Phleum alpinum), which also 

 extends to North America, occurring generally through 

 the western mountains, and south as far as the White 

 Mountains of New England. The botanical evidence is 

 strongly against common timothy being native to the 

 New World. It was early introduced, but has never been 

 found in localities where its introduction was improbable. 

 Most northern plants common to the Old and the New 

 World range in North America either from Alaska south- 

 ward through the western mountains, or southeastward to 

 New England, or else range from Greenland south to New 

 England. It has been thought by some that timothy was 

 native in New England, but as the plant is not native 

 to the northward of New England, nor in Alaska and the 

 Rocky Mountains, it is quite certain that the plant is not 

 endemic to North America. 



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