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Timothy is exhaustive to the soil, and being a heavy 

 feeder, requires attention. No crop can be raised on ground 

 that will not extract a certain amount of its vitality, but 

 unless something is taken the farmer would receive nothing. 

 Therefore, it is the duty of the farmer to supply by ma- 

 nure the deficiency that occurs ; and this is made the more 

 apparent from the fact that the man who applies the most 

 manure will invariably get the best returns for his labor. 

 On good rich land bottom is best timothy will make two 

 tons per acre. By a heavy application of compost or ma- 

 nure from the barn-yard, it can be raised to five tons, and 

 the straw lengthened 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 preparing 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 

 proportion. Not less than 12 pounds, if mixed, and if alone, 

 at least three gallons of clean seed, will be required to se- 

 cure 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 



