THE GRASSES— TIMOTHY GRASS. 83 



is said that it suffocates and destroys moss. Another 

 advantage about it is that its seed is easily saved, and is 

 very cheap. Taking it all round it is an excellent grass. 



Dr. Vaset in his Eeport on Grasses of the United 

 States of Ann erica, says, "As a hay grass Timothy has 

 no superior ; for a pasture grass it gives out too early 

 in July." 



Mr. Maetin J. Sutton says that a substantial advan- 

 tage about it is that it reaches the height of its produce 

 the first year after being sown; but, unless properly 

 fed, there is a tendency to weakness the third or fourth 

 year. No other grass will bear extremes of heat and cold 

 better than Timothy: all cattle eat it greedily, and horses 

 manifest especial fondness for it. It produces a heavy 

 hay crop, is exceedingly nutritious when young, and be- 

 comes still more so when old and the seed is formed. 

 Still, its hard wiry stems when dried can scarcely he called 

 hay ; they may be very nutritious, but they will have 

 to be cut into chaff before being given to the cattle. 

 The crop is really mown to greatest advantage before 

 the ears are out of their sheaths, having regard to the 

 fineness of the hay and the aftermath. 



Timothy should form a principal constituent for 

 heavy soils, but mischief may be done by using it in 

 excess. The herbage is coarse ; the stalks soon become 

 hard, and their increased feeding value in that state is 

 of no avail if cattle refuse to graze them (as they un- 

 doubtedly do), or if the presence of this grass in abun- 

 dance lowers the price of the hay. When seed is freely 

 shed there is a danger that the plant wUl take almost 

 exclusive possession of the land, especially on those 

 formations that favour its growth; and once sown 

 it is a very difficult grass to eradicate. Timothy is 



