TIMOTHY. 79 



is liable to be killed by summer heat, and if sown late in 

 autumn, it runs the same risk with frost. It is, therefore, 

 bad policy to run the risk of not only losing the cost of seed 

 but also the labor of preparing the ground. Much must 

 be left to the judgment of the farmer in selecting a suitable 

 day, but it is safe to say that it should always be sown in 

 the fall, early enough to get a root strong enough to resist 

 winter killing. If sown in a very dry soil it will incur the 

 further danger of germinating from dews, and of being killed 

 by the sun. Select the time when the ground is moist and 

 the days not excessively hot. The quantity of seed per acre 

 is various, but the sower who spares his seed will reap in 

 proportion. Not less than 12 pounds if mixed, and if alone 

 at least three gallons of clean seed will be required to se- 

 cure a good stand. But it will be better to test the seeds 

 beforehand, for a failure from bad seeds will cause a year's 

 delay. 



Timothy does best on rich, alluvial, moist land. But any 

 rich land, whether upland or lowland, will produce it, if 

 proper attention is given. Wherever calcareous loam exists 

 it can be profitably put to timothy. It will not grow to any 

 extent at a greater elevation than 4,000 feet above the sea, 

 but on any less height there is no grass capable of greater 

 diffusion. In order to secure a stand of timothy, the follow- 

 ing simple rules may be adopted : 



1. Be sure of your seed by testing them before sowing. 



2. Put plenty of seed on the ground ; if too thin, it will 

 require time to turf over, if too thick, it will quickly ad- 

 just itself. 



3. Sow early enough to enable the seed to get a foothold 

 before winter sets in. Late fall and winter sowings are always 

 precarious. September is best if there is no drought, other- 

 wise wait for a " season." 



4. Unlike other grasses, timothy will not admit of pas- 

 turage. The nipping of stock will destroy the tubers. 



