TIMOTHY 131 



probably 60 per cent or more of the timothy being thus 

 sown. In this case a grass-seeding attachment is used on 

 the grain drill, and the seed is allowed to fall either behind 

 or in front of the wheat drill. In the latter case, it is 

 somewhat covered. When thus seeded, timothy makes 

 but little growth the succeeding year and no crop can be 

 harvested. Partly on this account, medium red clover is 

 sown in the wheat early in the spring. As a result a 

 small crop of red clover may sometimes be harvested the 

 same season, or at least some pasturage be secured. The 

 next season the crop is mainly clover, and thereafter 

 practically all timothy. This method of seeding involves 

 a minimum amount of labor, and as a rule gives entirely 

 satisfactory results. In many places it is unsatisfactory be- 

 cause the timothy fields become increasingly foul year after 

 year. The most troublesome weeds are the oxeye daisy 

 (Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum) and the white fleabane 

 (Erigeron ramosus and Erigeron annuus). Both of these 

 weeds ripen all or much of their seed before timothy is cut 

 'for hay, and as these seeds live over in the ground for 

 several years and are returned to the land in the manure, 

 timothy fields frequently become badly infested. 



The second method namely, of sowing alone in fall 

 is best where weeds are troublesome, and in general 

 southward of the principal timothy area. The seed bed 

 should be well prepared after plowing wheat or other grain 

 stubble, and sown to timothy in late summer or early fall. 

 An excellent crop, practically free from weeds, will ordinarily 

 be secured the next season. Southward of the parallel of 

 36 degrees red clover can quite safely be sown with the 

 timothy, especially if it be seeded rather early. This 

 method should be more generally used. It involves more 

 labor, but produces cleaner and usually larger crops. 



