82 THE GRASSES— TIMOTHY GRASS. 



foliage is often remarkable in those pastures in -which 

 it is plentifully distributed amongst the scanty verdure 

 of the later grasses. Unless in very dry soils, it has a 

 tendency to creep at the root and interfere with the 

 growth of other grasses. 



Mr. James Hunter says that, notwithstanding its 

 coarse appearance, it is a grass of the highest nutritive 

 value, and for productiveness stands in the very first 

 rank. It produces an abundance of early herbage 

 which may be cropped till a late period of the spring 

 without injury to the haycrop. It attains greatest per- 

 fection on deep, moist, retentive soils — on dry soils it is 

 of less value. 



Dr. Steblee reports that in Schleswig-Holstein, 

 Mecklenburgh, and over large districts of the Northern 

 States of America, it constitutes the chief part of the 

 pastures, and from year to year its cultivation is be- 

 coming more general in Northern and Central Europe. 

 It takes a high place for nutritive qualities, but to 

 secure these in largest proportion it should be cut just 

 as the flowers begin to make their appearance (about 

 the end of June), as later on it develops woody fibre, 

 and gives a coarse hard hay. Being deficient in albu- 

 men, it is advisable to use it in conjunction with other 

 grasses in which that substance is prominent. It 

 associates best with Eed Clover and Alsike. When 

 grown by itself, or in large proportion with clover, it is 

 better to use it for soiling than to save it for hay, 

 as it becomes ' hard in the saving. For permanent 

 pasture mixtures the quantity used should never exceed 

 lo per cent, as it is not a lasting grass, and its herbage 

 thins out after the third or fourth year. It resists the 

 rigours of winter better than most other grasses, and it 



