Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-10-30
When to Sow Timothy.

Since timothy seed will sooner or
later terminate when sown on fair soil
farmers are apt to conclude that it
makes little difference when it is sown.
1t is true that sooner or later the tim
othy seed will put in an appearance,
yet if it only peeps above the ground
before winter sets in the chances are
that on clay ground it will be headed
out and perish before May next, and
the field will be poorly covered with
timothy and the weeds will start
where the timothy might have been
had the same amount of seed been
sown as early as September l.
When land is to be occupied two or
more years for meadow or pasture, it
becomes very important that the land
be fully covered with grass. Ii the
stand is a poor one we lose not only
for one year but for as many years
as that grass crop is allowed to stand.
If too, there are weedy spots they are
not only Improbable, but a curse in
that they are filing the soil'with weeds
and injuring it by leaving it denuded
part Of the time and unoccupied.
In the first week of September we
had a corner of "a field prepared for
timothy, and the ground to- day is
we'll covered, and the timothy is a
beautiful sight. It has complete pos
session; not a weed can be seen. Be
side it in the adjoining field, was a
rough corner that we did not get
cleareda.of littler, and put in good order
to SOW at same time with the other, as
we were called off to work on the
roads before the work was completed.
We did not get back to complete the
sowing until the first week in October.
The day after sowing we had show
er, and congratulated ourselves that
the last sowing of timothy would
come right along. To day it is bare
Iy visible, and as the weather has been
dry, it can not make much more
growth.
We prefer to SOW timothy seed alone
because we think it should be in before
the barley or wheat. And we would
sow as early as the middle of August
if the ground was in good condition.
And we would be careful to have the
ground so well worked that the seeds
would start promptly, and the major
| ity oft be we'll rooted before the freez-
ing weather sets in.
II we wish to SOW timothy on barley
or wheat, we prefer to wait until
spring, and sow early. Thus the tim
othY will likely make more even
start and not be Injured by winter and
spring freczings, and yet it will not
grow so tail as 30 mold in the bands
Of the barley or wheat. We have cut
grain where the timothy was as tall
as the grain, and very green. Only
the best OF weather will save the grain
when bound up full of green grass.
On the other hand if one can have the
best of weather he will have the best
of cattle feed, if he cares for the straw
properly But as this is not the pri-
mary object in view when we put in
the crop we should so proceed as to
secure the best of the main crop. The
grain first and straw second, is the
order. As an Offset to this good dry
feed we have loss in the fall pasture
since the timothy stubble will not
make so much or so good pasture as
one could have had, if the timothy
had not been tall enough to be cut by
the reaper. Where one is compelled
to SOW timothy late in the fall, be-
cause of late sowing Of wheat, we
have found it the safest and surest
to make light sowing il the fall. and
then put in the rest OF the seed in the
spring, sowing across the fall sowing.
Timothy alone is not profitable for
pasture To it we must add at last
two other grasses, say or chard and
clover.
If the timothy is for meadow we
would have it alone yet so thick as
to occupy tue ground and keep out
weeds and SOW the first week in Sep
TENDER. The early sowing is best
when there meadow or pasture is
desired.