TIMOTHY 151 



1. The selected plant is propagated vegetatively by 

 digging up and separating the bulbs that are formed in the 

 stooling of the plant. These are taken in early September 

 and a row of sixteen to twenty-four plants grown. These 

 plants, it will be understood, are only transplanted parts 

 of the same individual. From such propagation the 

 character of the individual can be judged better and a 

 more nearly correct idea can be obtained of the yielding 

 capacity of the plant as well as of other characters. 



2. Inbred seed is sown carefully in sterilized soil and 

 the seedlings transplanted in rows in field plats as above 

 described, in order to test the transmission of the char- 

 acters for which the plants were selected. 



3. As soon as sufficient seed can be obtained, plats are 

 sown broadcast in the usual way in order to test the yield 

 under ordinary field conditions. 



4. As soon as a variety is known or believed to be valu- 

 able, isolated plats are planted from inbred seed in order 

 to obtain seed for planting larger areas that will finally 

 give sufficient quantities of seed for distribution. 



139. Desirable types of improved timothies. The 

 main object sought in breeding timothy is to secure 

 varieties that will give increased hay yield. Hopkins 

 also developed an early strain that could be harvested ten 

 days earlier than the ordinary, and which on account of 

 its earliness did not cross much with other strains. He 

 also endeavored to secure a variety that would withstand 

 heavy pasturing, using as the basis a plant that had sur- 

 vived several years in a closely grazed field. Another 

 type was distinguished by the fact that its stems remained 

 green when the seed was ripe, producing presumably a 

 straw with greater feeding value. 



Webber at the Cornell Experiment Station has sought 



