TIMOTHY-SEED PRODUCTION 



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

 Diseases, Bureau of Plant IndustJ'U 



Domestic Seed Production 



Available records indicate that nearly 6 percent of the timothy 

 acreage of the United States is harvested for seed each year. During 

 the 6-year period 1925-30, inclusive, timothy seed was harvested from 

 an average of approximately 520,000 acres, on which about 2,000,000 

 bushels, valued at nearly $4,000,000, were produced annually. 



Most of the timothy seed produced in the United States is har- 

 vested in a few States in the central West. During the years 1925-30. 

 42 percent was produced in Iowa, 16 in Missouri, 14 in Illinois, 11 

 in Ohio, and 7 in Minnesota, constituting in all 90 percent of the 

 total production. 



Weather conditions often determine the use made of the timothy 

 crop. Sometimes excessive or frequent rainfall delays harvesting 

 a crop intended for hay until it has become nearly or quite mature, 

 and for this reason it is harvested for seed. 



The price is also a factor. When the market for timothy seed 

 reaches a comparatively high level and the price of hay becomes 

 relatively low, some of the timothy acreage originally intended for 

 hay is likely to be harvested for seed. This may result in over- 

 production of seed and consequent low prices. 



Although the total income from an acre of timothy seed may be 

 relatively small, the cost of production is correspondingly low. The 

 income from a meadow used for seed production may be increased by 

 the value of the threshed or headed hay and by pasturage during late 

 summer and fall. 



Since a surplus of timothy seed is commonly produced in the 

 United States, the quantity imported is usually negligible. 



From 1884, the earliest year for which records are available, to 

 1934, the quantity of timothy seed exported annually has ranged 

 from about 2,000,000 pounds in 1888 to more than 27,000.000 pounds 

 in 1910. In the successive 7- and 5-year periods from 1884 to 1925, an 

 almost continuous gradual increase occurred in the average annual 

 value of the exports of timothv seed, from $289,000 during the 

 period 1884-90 to $1,261,000 during the period 1921-25. During 

 the period 1926-32 the average annual value of the exports was 

 $795,000. Most of these exports are to the Provinces of Ontario and 

 Quebec, Canada, though much seed is also exported to Europe, largely 

 to Great Britain, Germany. France, and the Netherlands. 



The drought of 1934. however, caused a great reduction in the 

 seed crop, according to the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, the 

 total crop for 1934 being the smallest on record. 



As a result of this short crop heavy importations have been made, 

 totaling 4.709,500 pounds. The following figures from the record of 

 the Division of Seed Investigations. Bureau of Plant Industry, show 

 the quantities of timothy seed imported between July 1, 1934. and 

 May 31, 1935, with the countries of production: Canada, 2.410.100 



