26 



Phleum pratense (Timothy) 



Dr. George Vasey says, concerning this plant: ' This is one of 

 the commonest and best known grasses. For a hay crop it is, per- 

 haps, the most valuable. * * * * * This gras-. as knovn in culti- 

 vation, is supposed to have been introduced from Europe, but it is 

 undoubtedly indigenous in the mountain regions of New England 

 New York, and the Rocky Mountains. It ia said that about the 

 year 1711 a Mr. Herd found this grass in a swamp in New Hamp- 

 shire and cultivated it. From him it took the name of Herd's 

 grass. About the year 1720 it was brought to Maryland by Timo- 

 thv Hanson and received the name of Timothy grass. It is now 

 the favorite and prevailing meadow grass over a large part of the 

 country." 



Mr. Charles L. Flint says: -'As a crop to cut for hay it is proba- 

 bly unsurpassed by other grasses now cultivated. Though somewhat 

 coarse and hard, especially if allowed to ripen its seed, yet if cut in 

 the blossom, or directly after, it is greatly relished by all kind- of 

 stock, and especially so by worses while it possesses a large percent- 

 age of nutritive matter in comparison with other agricultural grass- 

 es * * * * *. Timothy thrives best on moist, peaty or loamy soils 

 of medium tenacity, and is not suited to sandy or light, gravelly 

 lands*****. It grows very rapidly and yields very large 

 crops on favorable soils. It is cultivated with ease, and yields a 

 large quantity of seed l.o the acre varying from ten to thirty bush- 

 els on rich soils. " 



Analysis: 







Water 



14.30 per cent. 





Ash 



5.90 „ „ 





Fat 



2.84 „ „ 





Nitrogen free extract 



48.77 „ „ 





Crude fiber 



21-71 „ „ 





Albuminoids 



8 48 „ ., 



(C.Richardson) 

 Plate 16. 



- vrobolus Indicus. [Smut grass,] 



This grass is found almost every where throughout the South 

 in uncultivated fields It grows from H to 3 feet high, and when 

 young it gives a mass of leaves that supply food for stock from 

 April until frost. When the plant is mature the spikelets are cov- 

 ered with a smut, hence its common name. 



