CHAPTER XXXVII 

 THE PRINCIPAL CULTIVATED GRASSES 



TIMOTHY 



MORE than half of the area sown to cultivated forage crops in 

 the United States is either part or all timothy. Timothy is the 

 dominant cultivated grass in all the region north of the Ohio River 

 and east of the Missouri River (Fig. 155). 



Origin and History. While botanists recognize ten species of 

 timothy, yet only one of these has agricultural value. All but one 

 species of the wild timothies are found growing in Europe, and the 

 cultivated variety is supposed to have been introduced from Europe 

 into the United States. The cultivation of timothy undoubtedly 

 began in the United States. In 1747 it is noted that a man named 

 Herd, of New Hampshire, was cultivating timothy, and some suppose 

 he introduced it from Europe. About the same time it is also noted 

 that Timothy Hansen introduced the grass into Maryland from 

 some point in New England. For many years the grass was known 

 both as timothy and Herd's grass. Timothy is now the common 

 name throughout the world, although it is still sometimes referred to 

 as Herd's grass in New England. This causes some confusion, how- 

 ever, as the name Herd's grass is also applied to redtop in other 

 sections. 



Climatic Adaptations. Timothy requires a rather cool, humid 

 climate, and is quite sensitive to hot, dry weather. It is not adapted 

 to the southern half of the United States, as it will usually summer 

 kill. For this reason very little timothy is found south of the Ohio 

 River, except in the higher elevations along the Appalachian Moun- 

 tains. Also west of the Missouri River it is likely to be so severely 

 injured by the long midsummer drought that timothy is not highly 

 regarded as a hay crop. We therefore find timothy distributed in 

 the eastern United States about as far south as Kentucky, but in 

 the great plains regions not very much south of the Dakotas; then 

 westward to the coast. 



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