104 PHLEUM PRATENSE. L., TIMOTHY. 



Everyone in town jind country knows the grass as soon its Jie 

 sees it and can distinguisli it from all others, hence a leading 

 reason why it is raised, fed, and sold. Consumers buy Timothy 

 and fear to buy anything else, even though it Avere better, because 

 they do not know what it is. They will buy oven if it is dead 

 ripe. 



The same remark applies to a well known and popular grass, 

 perennial rye grass, generally raised in England. After a long 

 time if a grass or fruit becomes well known, and it has good 

 qualities if not tlie best, people buy it because they know what 

 they are getting. 



In tliis country Timothy is often sown alone, at the rate ol' 

 about eleven pounds to the acre. The sowing usually occurs in 

 autumn with wheaf or rye, or in the spring with oats or barley. 

 It is often sown a^i the only forage crop on moist laiul or on 

 strong, clay loam, but on lighter laiul it is usual to sow on sonu; 

 red clover also. If quite sandy, clover without any true grass is 

 generally sown. Timothy is two to four -weeks behind red clover 

 in coming into flower ready for the mower. Among its other 

 good qualities, Timothy seeds very freely, yielding (i to 10 or 

 more bushels of cleanc.l «eed to the acre; aiul this is easily saved 

 and threshed with a flail or a nuichine, can be easily cleaned aiul 

 separated from seeds of weeds, and can be put onto the market 

 in abuiulance and sold cheaply. It only takes from one to two 

 pecks to sow an acre, and this costs but little. 



While Timothy has nuiny good qualities to recommend it, it 

 has many nuirked defects. When sown with clover, it makes 

 but a small growth and must 1)0 cut young, if the clover is 

 secured in good season. It starts very slowly in spring, is a long 

 time in coming into flower, and after cutting the second growth 

 is slow, feeble, and of little consequence, seldom large enough 

 to cut a second time or to afford much i)asturc. If cut early 

 the tuber at the base of the stalk does not become sufliciently 



