THE GENi:SEE FAEMER. 



177 



As a meadow grs,s8 to cut for hay, timothy is 

 unsurpassed by auy other grass now cultivated. It 

 possesses a large amount of nutritious matter, in 

 3omparison with other natural grasses. It has 

 been a general practice among farmers to grow 

 timothy along with clover; hut the clover blos- 

 soms two weeks earlier, and the practice is now 

 being discontinued, except where the large, or late 

 variety of clover can be obtained. 



Considerable discussion has been going on of 

 late, among agriculturists, as to the proper time for 

 BCtting timothy for hay. Most farmers prefer to 

 cut it when it is full blown, and say that it is 

 sweeter and contains more nourishment at this 

 ;ime. Others, again, believe that if the mowing is 

 )erformed before the seed is fully developed, the 

 )lant will run out, from a failure to re-seed the 

 around. Dr. Kirtland, of Cleveland, Ohio, states 

 ,hat an intelligent practical farmer of his neigh- 

 borhood, Mr. EiCHAED MoCeaet, after many care- 

 "ul observations on the growth of timothy, has 

 irrived at the following propositions, which he il- 

 ustrates with specimens : — 



'' 1. Timothy grass is a perennial plant, which re- 

 lews itself by an annual formation of " bulbs," or, 

 )erhaps more correctly speaking, tubers, in which 

 ill the vitality of the plant is concentrated during 

 vinter, (fig. 1.) These form, in whatever locality 



,he plant is found, without reference to dryness 

 )r moisture. From these, proceed the stalks 

 jvhich support the leaves and head, and from the 

 same source spread out the numerous fibres form- 

 ng the true roots. 



2. To insure a perfect development of these 

 ,ubers, a certain amount of nutrition must be as- 

 limilated in the leaves, and returned to the base 

 )f the plant through the stalk. 



8. As soon as this process of nutrition is com- 

 pleted, it becomes manifest by the appearance of a 

 itate of desiccation, or dryness, alwaj's cpmmenc- 

 ng above either the first or second joint of the 

 item, near the crown of the tuber. From this 

 )oint, the desiccation gradually progresses upwards, 

 ind the last portion of the stalk that yields up its 

 xoshness is that adjoining the head. Co-incident 



with the beginning of this process is the full de- 

 velopment of the seed, and with its progress they 

 mature. Its earliest appearance is evidence that 

 both the tubers and seeds have received the requi- 

 site supplies of nutrition, and that neither the 

 stalks nor the leaves are longer necessary to aid 

 them in completing their maturity. 



4. If the stalk be cut from the tuber before this 

 evidence of maturity has appeared, the necessary 

 supplies of nutrition will be arrested ; their proper 

 growth will cease, and an effort will be made to 

 repair the injury, by sending out small lateral 

 tubers, from whicli weak and i-mhe.althy stalks wiU 

 proceed, at the expense of the original tubers, (fig. 

 2.) All will ultimately perish, either by the drouth 

 of autumn or the cold of winter. 



5. The tubers, together with one or two of the 

 lower joints of the stalk, remain fresh and green 

 during the winter, if left to take their natural 

 course ; but if, by any means, this green portion 

 be severed at any time of the year, the result wiU 

 be the death of the plant, (fig. 3.) 



From these five propositions, the following con- 

 clusions are drawn : — 



1. That timothy grass cannot, under any circum- 

 stances, be adapted for pasture, as the close nip- 

 ping of horses and sheep is tatal to the tubers, 

 which are also extensively destroyed by swine. 



2. That the proper period for mowing timothy 

 is at any time after the process of desiccation has 

 commenced on the stalk, as noticed in proposition 

 3. It is not very essential whether it is performed 

 a week earlier or later, provided that evidence of 

 maturity has become manifest. 



3. All attempts at close shaving the sward 

 should be avoided while using the scythe, and, in 

 gauging mowing machines, care should be taken 

 to set them to run so liigh that they will not cut 

 the timotliy below the second joint above the 

 tuber." 



Any farmer can satisfy himself as to the correct- 

 ness of these representations, by a little observa- 

 tion in his own fields; and as the point is one of 

 importance, it is worthy of careful attention. 



If cut just after coming into bloom, it no doubt 

 makes the most eatable hay for stock, but gives 

 less weight per acre than if cut later, besides the 

 risk of destroying the vitality of the plants for suc- 

 ceeding crops. Early cutting also renders it liable 

 to be killed by drouth. If cut when fully ripe, it 

 gives a much larger quantity of hay per acre, but 

 hard and wiry, containing more condensed nutri- 

 ment, and requiring to be cut up fine to enable 

 horses or other stock to eat it properly. If allowed 

 to ripen, its seed is a very exhausting crop to the 

 soil. The best time to cut timothy would proba- 

 bly be, as soon as the seeds are fully formed, but 

 before they begin to ripen. But as it is the latest 

 of our grasses, and comes to the proper stage for 

 cutting just about the commencement of the wheat 

 harvest, many farmers have either no patience to 

 wait till then, or they put off mowing their timo- 

 thy till the wheat is secured, — in either case greatly 

 to their own injury. Now that mowing machines 

 and horse rakes are becoming plentiful and cheap, 

 the work of hay-making can be expeditiously done, 

 without interfering with other crops. Timothy, 

 especially if grown by itself and cut with a ma- 

 chine when nearly ripe, requires but little more to 



