TIMOTHY 



87 



be sown in either fall or spring, but on clay land it is 

 always sown in spring. 



Timothy sown alone or with mammoth clover 

 yields only one cutting a season. When mixed with 

 common red clover two crops a year are cut, the first 

 consisting of both clover and timothy, the second of 

 nearty pure clover. 



In many localities, particularly where timothy hay 

 is grown for market, it is customary to leave a meadow 

 down for many years. In such cases the yield seldom 

 exceeds a ton and a quarter a year after the first crop. 

 This practice is hard on the soil, and cannot be con- 

 sidered high-class farming. Yet, if kept free from 

 weeds, pastured very lightly, and frequently top- 

 dressed with good manure or with a complete fertil- 

 izer, fairly good yields may be mantained for many 

 years. 



FEED VALUE OF TIMOTHY 



The value of timothy hay for different kinds of 

 stock depends on the stage at wdiich it is cut. For 

 cattle it should be cut just after it is through bloom- 

 ing. When the stamens of the timothy flower have 

 just protruded from the glumes, it is popularly said to 

 be in the first bloom. When the stamens have burst 

 and shed their pollen, and hang limp and empty on 

 their slender stalks, it is said to be in second bloom. 

 This, or a day or two later, is the stage to cut it for 

 cattle. During the next week or ten da} T s, after reach- 

 ing the second bloom, timothy rapidly changes in 

 character and flavor. Horses eat it more readily if cut 

 w T hen the seed is about grown. It is also less washy 



