THE THREE LEADING FORAGE GRASSES 



57 



depends upon the purity of the seed, but fortunately for 

 the grower, timothy seed is usually of a fairly high grade 

 of purity and viability. It is customary to use 12 to 18 

 pounds per acre. If clover is used, the amount of seed 

 is about 8 pounds per acre. Timothy 

 seed weighs 45 pounds per bushel. 



DESCRIPTION 



A perennial grass usually 2 to 3 feet 

 tall, smooth, from a somewhat bulb- 

 ous base, growing in small tufts. 

 Leaves flat, in the larger plants as 

 much as a foot long. Panicle or head 

 a dense cylindrical spike 2 to 5 inches 

 long. Anthers bluish. 



Details of the Spikelet Spikelet 

 strongly flattened, I -flowered, about 

 3 mm. long; glumes equal ,oblong, long- 

 ciliate on the keel, rounded to a short 

 awn i to 2 mm.* long; lemma and 

 palea about equal, thin and pale, 

 about half as long as the glumes. 

 The seed of commerce is the caryopsis, 

 mostly enclosed in its lemma and 

 palea. ' 



Common Names. Timothy is the 

 name most widely used for this grass, this name coming 

 from that of Timothy Hanson who is said to have in- 

 troduced it into this country. In some localities this 

 species is known as Herd's grass, a name which is also 

 used for redtop. 



* A millimeter (mm.) is about 1/25 of an inch. 



4. Timothy. A 

 single head, the 

 lower part in flower, 

 the stamens pro- 

 truding. 



