ORCHARD GRASS TIMOTHY. 33 



meridian, beyond which the summer conditions become too severe. It 

 is true that fields of these grasses usually dry up more or less during the 

 middle of summer, but the same-is true of all available pasture grasses, 

 it being necessary to supplement them during this season with green 

 feed, such as cane or corn. On the other hand, orchard grass and meadow 

 fescue furnish green feed in early spring and late fall, seasons when 

 the wild pastures are not available. The seed should be sown in the 

 spring at the rate of about 20 pounds of orchard grass and 15 pounds 

 of meadow fescue per acre. Unless the ground is free from weeds it 

 will be necessary to mow once or twice during the first season to keep 

 the weeds down until the grass is well established. When grown for 

 hay the grass should be cut in blossom, as at a later period the value 

 of the hay rapidly decreases. 



Orchard grass has been grown on the Nebraska Station farm for 

 several }^ears and has given very satisfactory results. (See PL IV, 

 fig. 1.) The reader is referred to the paragraph upon grass mixtures 

 for further information as to this grass. 



Timothy 



Timothy {Phleum pratense) is a native of Europe, and is said to 

 have been brought to Maryland in 1720 by Timothy Hanson, for 

 whom it was named. The history of this standard meadow grass is 

 somewhat obscure, however. The name herd's grass, by which it is 

 known in New England, is said to have been derived from a Mr. Herd, 

 who found it growing wild in New Hampshire and introduced it into 

 cultivation. Timothy is cultivated in Europe, while in the United 

 States it is the common meadow grass through all the Northern States 

 as far west as eastern Nebraska and south to Virginia and Tennessee, 

 and even farther in the mountains. It is also cultivated in the Rocky 

 Mountains at high altitudes, in the irrigated districts of the Northwest, 

 and the moist region of western Oregon and Washington. 



Timothy is a less nutritious grass than most of the other cultivated 

 grasses, but it has a great advantage from the fact that seed of good 

 quality is easily produced for the market and hence is cheap, and 

 because the grass may be easily grown and handled. In Nebraska 

 timothy can be grown successfully only in the eastern counties, although 

 it is being gradually pushed westward, and there are many fields that 

 give fairly good results as far west as the ninety-ninth meridian, or 

 even farther when there is an abundant water supply near the surface. 

 However, these are isolated cases and represent localities where the 

 conditions are especially favorable, and it can not be said that timothy 

 is to be depended upon much west of the line indicating 30 inches of 

 annual rainfall. 



Timothy is chiefly used for meadows, but may be also used for pas- 

 tures. When sown alone there is some danger of injury from close 

 23059— No. 59—04 3 



