Climate, Soils and Rotation 111 



when handled correctly. It will grow on many soils, fur- 

 nishes a fairly heavy root system and stubble to keep up 

 soil organic matter, gives a good yield of hay which is 

 easily cured and finds ready sale at good prices for horse 

 feeding. The close sod formed by timothy prevents 

 erosion and helps to keep weeds down. The use of lime, 

 manure and fertilizers on timothy greatly increases the 

 yield and keeps it longer at a high production. A very 

 common fault in the handling of timothy is to let it stand 

 so long that many plants die out and when the remainder 

 are turned under there is but little organic matter to 

 supply succeeding crops. It should be plowed while 

 there is yet material to enrich the soil. Redtop is a hay 

 plant seldom appreciated outside of New England. A 

 prejudice against redtop in mixture in market hay re- 

 duces the price on account of a common practice of letting 

 it stand until woody before cutting. Properly handled, 

 its value for feeding is practically that of timothy. By 

 the well-known principle that a mixture of grasses yields 

 better than either alone, redtop increases the yield of 

 mixtures in which it is included and is particularly valu- 

 able for humus production on account of its very heavy 

 sod. It grows in soils too poor, wet or dry for timothy. 



The selection of the hay plants to be grown in any rota- 

 tion with potatoes should be carefully considered with 

 the idea of building up soil fertility as well as producing 

 hay for feeding or sale. Alfalfa, red clover, alsike clover, 

 timothy and redtop require for their growth soils varying 

 in fertility, drainage and lime content in about the order 

 named. Potatoes should be rotated with alfalfa where it 

 succeeds. In all others, and this includes nearly all the 

 northern and eastern states from the Red River to ]Maine, 

 the capacity of the soil determines whether red clover 



