SOWING TIMOTHY 



313 



grasses, which totaled 16,868,000 acres. The production of 

 timothy hay amounted to 17,973,000 tons, of timothy and 

 clover mixed, 24,743,000 tons; and of wild, salt, and prairie 

 grasses, 18,117,000 tons. 



387. Soils and Fertilizers. Timothy grows best on clay 

 loam soils which are retentive of moisture, though it thrives 

 on quite a variety of soils. It grows better in moist climates 

 than in dry ones, and on fertile loams than on sandy soils. 

 It does not grow well on very acid soils, redtop being a much 

 better grass for such locations. The liberal use of stable 

 manure will greatly 



increase the yield of 

 timothy, while the 

 plowing under of a 

 leguminous crop be- 

 fore sowing, or the 

 use of nitrogenous 

 fertilizers also pro- 

 duces a heavier 

 growth. In fact, 

 some benefit is de- 

 rived from the nitro- 

 gen stored in the 

 soil by leguminous crops such as clover which grow with 

 the timothy. 



388. Sowing the Seed. Timothy seed weighs from 42 

 to 50 pounds to the bushel, according to its cleanness from 

 hulls. The legal weight in most states is 45 pounds. The 

 usual rate of seeding is from 8 to 12 pounds to the acre, 

 though 15 pounds are sometimes sown. When sown with 

 clover, 7 to 10 pounds of timothy are sown with from 5 to 8 

 pounds of clover. Good, clean seed of a high percentage of 

 germination should be used. Timothy seed is less subject 



Fig. 96. Seeds of timothy; a, with husk, 

 enlarged; b, husk removed, enlarged; c, natural 

 size. 



