THE SMALLER GRASSES— STRAW 169 



may remain to be drawn upon during the mid-summer dormant period, 

 or he fully stocks it and makes up the later shortage by supplying 

 silage or soilage. Because of its low, carpet-like growth, bluegrass is 

 primarily a pasture, rather than a hay grass. 



Timothy. — The acreage of timothy in the United States nearly 

 equals that of all other cultivated hay plants combined, including 

 clover and alfalfa. This cool-weather grass is of especial importance 

 in the northeastern states, where it furnishes probably three-fourths 

 of all hay marketed in the cities. The popularity of timothy is due 

 to the following points: The seed is cheap and generally of good 

 quality. A field of timothy is quickly established and usually holds 

 well. The grass seldom lodges, may be harvested over a longer period 

 than most grasses, and is easily cured into bright, clean hay which is 

 quite free from dust and can be handled with little waste. 



For horses timothy hay is the standard roughage, being preferred 

 especially by city buyers. However, mixed clover and timothy hay, 

 or even legume hay alone, if of good quality, may be successfully used 

 in place of timothy. For dairy and beef cattle and for sheep timothy 

 is greatly inferior to hay from the legumes, for timothy is low in pro- 

 tein and is also not so well-liked by these animals as is clover or alfalfa. 

 Moreover, the yield of timothy is not large, for it produces but little 

 aftermath. Therefore, on most farms where timothy is now exten- 

 sively grown, greater use should be made of the legumes, which not 

 only yield more hay, but at the same time increase the fertility of the 

 land. Bed or alsike clover should always be sown with' timothy, except 

 when the hay is to be grown for sale and the demand is for pure 

 timothy, for the combination furnishes more and superior hay, even 

 for horses. Grown together, the hay of the first season will consist 

 largely of clover. "With the close of the second season most of the 

 clover disappears and the decaying clover roots nourish the timothy 

 which remains, so that a much larger yield of that grass is obtained. 

 Fodder corn and hay from the cereals — oats, wheat, or barley — are 

 economical substitutes for timothy hay in many cases. 



When to cut timothy. — In trials during 3 seasons at the Missouri 

 Station 1 cutting timothy when the seed had just formed gave the 

 largest yield of dry matter, closely followed by cutting when the seed 

 was in the dough. However, when the hay was cut later than full 

 bloom it was less digestible, and therefore the yield of digestible nu- 

 trients was greatest when the crop was cut at full bloom. After this 

 the yield of both digestible protein and carbohydrates fell off mark- 

 edly. This decrease in total digestible nutrients as the hay matures, 

 which is opposite to what occurs in the corn crop, is due to the partial 



i Waters and Schweitzer, Proc. Soc. Prom. Agr. Sci., 1910, pp. 71-98. 



