THE TIMOTHY CROP 



By Morgan W. Evans, associate agronomist, Division of Forage Crops and 

 Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry 



Timothy is well adapted to the cool, humid climate of the North- 

 eastern and North Central States and also to the mountain valleys 

 of the Rocky Mountains and the coastal region of the Pacific North- 

 west. It grows better on clay loams than on the lighter-textured 

 sandy soils. Throughout the area to which it is adapted, it is more 

 extensively grown for hay, either alone or in mixture with clover or 

 alfalfa, than all other grasses combined. 



In 1909, 1919, and 1929, according to the United States census 

 reports, timothy, alone or in mixture with clover, was grown in the 

 United States on 34,228,000, 30,290,000, and 25,547,000 acres, 

 respectively. This decreasing acreage was due in part to the reduced 

 numbers of horses and consequent loss of a large proportion of the 

 city market for hay and in part to changing farm practices. Another 

 factor was the decreasing acreage in farm land in some parts of the 

 United States where timothy is an important crop, as timothy acre- 

 age was planted to other crops. In the New England States, where 

 the acreage classified as "all land in farms" decreased from 19,714,000 

 in 1909 to 14,283,000 in 1929, there was a slight percentage of increase 

 in the proportion of all farm land in timothy or timothy and clover — 

 from 11.9 percent in 1909 to 12.3 percent in 1929 — although there 

 was an actual decrease of over 500,000 acres of timothy. Most of 

 the timothy now produced is fed on the farms. 



Seeding Timothy 



Timothy may be sown either with the grass-seeding attachment on 

 a grain drill, or with a hand seeder. The seed should be covered not 

 more than half an inch. If sown on the surface of a loose, recently 

 tilled soil, usually the first rainfall will cover the seed so that it will 

 germinate. When sown very early in the spring on fields of winter 

 grain, the alternate freezing and thawing of the soil helps cover the 

 seed so that germination and growth can take place. 



When timothy is seeded alone or with winter wheat or some other 

 fall-sown cereal, it should be seeded in the fall, since seedlings started 

 at this time are less likely to be injured by dry weather during late 

 spring or early summer than are seedlings from spring seedings. 

 Experimental work and experience have shown that much less seed 

 is required for fall than for spring seeding. From 3 to 5 pounds per 

 acre is recommended for the former, while 10 pounds is recommended 

 for spring seeding. If clovers or alfalfa are to be seeded as a mixture 

 with the timothy, they should be broadcast on the surface of the soil 

 in the early spring. Fall seedings of the legumes may be made in 



Issued February 1939 

 99193°— 39 1 



