THE TIMOTHY MEADOW 315 



few days after it goes out of bloom. As the quantity of 

 dry matter produced on an acre increases up to the time the 

 seed begins to ripen, it is probable that the larger yield of 

 food material can be obtained by late rather than by early 

 cutting. When a large acreage is to be harvested, cutting 

 should begin when the plants come into blossom, in order 

 to complete the work before the seed is ripe, for the stems 

 become dry and woody and many of the leaves are lost after 

 the dough stage is passed. 



Timothy is usually ready to cut for hay in July, when 

 the best conditions are presented for hay making. The 

 plants cure readily and there is ordinarily little loss from 

 injury by rain or dew. Little or no extra labor is required 

 in the curing of the hay. It seldom needs to be turned with 

 the tedder or put into cocks for curing, practically as good 

 results being obtained when it is cured in the swath and 

 hauled immediately to the barn or stack. A few hours are 

 usually ample to cure the hay sufficiently for storing. 



391. Value of the Hay. The prominence of timothy as a 

 hay grass is due largely to the ease with which it can be cured, 

 the certainty of getting a catch, the yields of hay it pro- 

 duces, and the cheapness of the seed. It is not particularly 

 high in feeding value, though the fact that it can be fed 

 with little waste and that all classes of animals eat it readily 

 makes it a general favorite on the market. Timothy hay 

 usually contains about 6 per cent of protein, 45 per cent of 

 carbohydrates, 2.5 per cent of fat, and 29 per cent of crude 

 fiber. Only about half this food material is ordinarily 

 digestible. Timothy is somewhat lower in protein than are 

 most of the other grasses, but is about equal to them in 

 other food materials. (Sec. 344). 



392. Pasturing. Although timothy is not adapted to 

 use as a pasture grass, and though meadows of it are often 



