FORAGE CROPS 



206. Timothy ranks first among hay plants. For years, 

 either unmixed or mixed with clover, it has found a ready 

 market in cities at high prices. It is adapted to various 

 soils and is easily grown. It lives longer than two years, 

 though after three or four it usually runs out rapidly. 



207. Kentucky blue grass, so called because of the peculiar 

 richness of its color, is unexcelled for lawns, pastures, und 

 hay. It attains its best growth in sections rich in lime- 

 stone, notably in the 

 " blue-grass " regions 

 of Kentucky. As ;i 

 pasture, it seems to 

 improve with age. 

 It needs several years 

 to get a good sod; 

 but, once established, 

 some blue-grass pas- 

 tures have supported 

 grazing animals suc- 

 cessfully for over fifty 

 years, and have not 

 run out. 



SEED OF KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS. 

 Larger bodies are chaff. 



208. Alfalfa. It has been said that in America corn is 

 king, and alfalfa, queen. As a forage plant, alfalfa was 

 grown in Europe before the Christian era. Its merits, 

 however, have only lately appealed to American farmers. 

 Over 2,000,000 acres are now devoted to its growth. See 

 Appendix A, Chart VI, page 469. 



Alfalfa will not succeed well if the soil is not sweet, 

 porous, and well drained. It is very sensitive to soil 

 acids, and most of the eastern soils need liming for good 

 results with alfalfa. Nor can alfalfa be pastured heavily, 

 and not at all the first year. When young, it is very ten- 

 der, and it does not thrive well if sown with other plants. 



