362 BOAllD OF AGRICULTURE. [Fab. Doc. 



of them ultimately form tufts which make the surface quite 

 uneven. Between the tufts formed by the individual i)lants 

 there may be spaces which are relatively bare. Orchard 

 grass and sheep's fescue are prominent representatives of 

 grasses having this habit, while the connnon timothy, tall oat 

 grass, yellow oat grass and the rye grasses are less likely to 

 form tufts, but propagate themselves only by stooling or 

 from seed. Most of the non-sod-forming grasses are rather 

 liively to be crowded out of permanent mowings Ijy the sod- 

 formers, which have an advantaiic in the struo-iile for exist- 

 ence. 



Some of the More Important Grasses described. 



Timolhy. — This variety is so well known that it seems 

 almost unnecessary to describe it, but some of the principal 

 reasons why it is a favorite and a statement of a few of its 

 })eculiarities may l)e of interest. Timothy is a large, mod- 

 erately coarse grass, producing relatively little leaf and a 

 large proportion of stem. The haj^ made from it is compar- 

 atively coarse and strawy, but the character of its growth is 

 such that it may be readily cured. The hay is, therefore, 

 perhaps more certain to be free from dust than that from most 

 grasses. It is therefore looked upon as the standard of ex- 

 cellence, and usually sells for a higher price than any other 

 hay in our markets. 



Timothy re(iuires a deep, retentive loam for its best growth. 

 On such loams, Avith liberal top-dressing either with manures 

 or fertilizers su[)plying abundance of nitrogen, it may j)rovc 

 (juite i)ersistent ; but on the lighter soils and under less gen- 

 erous treatment timothy is likely 1o give way to inferior 

 species within a comparatively short time. Just at the sur- 

 face of the ground on a timothy plant which is mature will 

 be found a considerable number of pointed and rather small 

 solid bulbs. If these be fed off, or if the mowings be too 

 jiuich tram])l('d by heavy animals, which doubtless cruslu's 

 and bruises tlu^ ))ulbs to a considerable extent, th(> timothy 

 \s'\\\ be seriously w(;akcned. It is not, therefore, well adai)tcd 

 to grazing, and great precaution should be used in pasturing 

 iur)wings in which timothy is the [)rincipal species. 



