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tons per acre. By a heavy application of compost or manure from 

 the barn-yard, it can be raised to five tons, and the straw length- 

 ened from two feet, its usual height, to five and even six feet, and 

 from the same cause, the heads from two inches to twelve inches in 

 length. 



It is a great and sure bearer of seeds, but the seeds are easily 

 destroyed by heat in the mow, unless precautions are used in caring 

 for them. 



The time of sowing is various. If sown in the spring it is liable 

 to be killed by summer heat, and if sown late in autumn it runs 

 the same risk with frost. It is, therefore, bad policy to run the 

 risk of not only losing the cost of seed, but also the labor of pre- 

 paring the ground. Much must be left to the judgment of the 

 farmer in selecting a suitable day, but it is safe to say that it should 

 always be sown in the fall, early enough to get a root strong enough 

 to resist winter killing. If sown in a very dry soil, it will incur 

 the further danger of germinating from dews, and of being killed 

 by the sun. Select the time when the ground is moist, and the 

 days not excessively hot. The quantity of seed per acre is various, 

 but the sower who spares his seed will reap in proportiou. Not 

 less than twelve pounds, if mixed, and if alone, at least three gal- 

 lons of clean seed will be required to secure a good stand. But it 

 will be better to test the seeds beforehand, for a failure from bad 

 seeds will cause a year's delay. 



Timothy does best on rich alluvial, moist land; but any rich 

 land, whether upland or lowland, will produce it, if proper atten- 

 tion is given. Wherever calcareous loam exists it can be profitably 

 put to timothy. It will not grow to any extent at a greater eleva- 

 tion than 4,000 feet above the sea, but on any less height there is 

 no grass capable of greater diffusion. 



In order to secure a stand of timothy, the following simple rules 

 may be adopted : 



1. Be sure of your seed by testing them before sowing. 



2. Put plenty of seed on the ground ; if too thin, it will require 

 time to turf over; if too thick, it will quickly adjust itself. 



3. Sow early enough to enable the seed to get a foothold before 

 winter sets in. Late fall and winter sowings are always precarious. 

 September is best, if there is no drought, otherwise wait for a 



