TIMOTHY. 61 



surface by soil particles shifting position. If sown 

 while the "old snow" is yet several inches deep, the dan- 

 ger exists that much of the seed may be carried away by 

 the waters formed in the rapid melting of the snows 

 through a sudden drop in the temperature, and this con- 

 dition may be further aggravated by heavy rains. 



Timothy may also be sown in the spring on ground in 

 a honeycombed condition, induced by alternate thawing 

 and freezing in the early spring, while there is yet much 

 moisture in the soil. When the seed is sown on soils in 

 the condition stated, the work can best be done in the 

 early morning when the air is still and while the ground 

 is yet frozen. By the time the ground has settled down 

 to a normal condition much of the seed is covered, and 

 a stand is reasonably assured. On some soils, however, 

 timothy seed cannot be sown thus since they do not 

 honeycomb. Where they do, a stand is more certain 

 than it would be if the sowing were deferred until the 

 ground was dry enough to render it necessary to cover 

 the seed with the harrow. 



On soils which carry crops of winter wheat or winter 

 rye, also winter barley or winter oats, and which do not 

 honeycomb, the sowing of the seed in spring should be 

 deferred until it can be covered with the harrow. If 

 sown on such soils without any covering and dry weather 

 should follow, the seed or, at least, much of it, would not 

 grow, and a stand would not be secured. But in a wet 

 season it would likely be different. 



When the seed is sown with any kind of spring crop, 

 it should be put in when practicable at the same time as 

 the nurse crop or as soon as possible thereafter. The 



