A HISTORY OF THE INTRODUCTION OF TIMOTHY AND COCKSFOOT INTO ALTERNATE HUSBANDRY IN BRITAIN. 1. THE YEAR 1763 AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

Abstract

Timothy (Phleum pratense) and cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata), although indigenous and commonly distributed, found no place in alternate husbandry in Britain until the end of the eighteenth century. Their value was then discovered as an indirect consequence of the search by the London Society of Arts for plants able to grow during the ‘dead season’ of the year. Letters on the subject were addressed by the society to Europe, Asia, North America and to people at home, but with no positive results. There was, however, in the New England provinces of America a developing enthusiasm at that time for timothy and, although not a winter grower, its merits became a matter for correspondence and discussion within the Society. A consequence was the arrival from America early in 1763 of various lots of seeds, but without any information as to sender(s) or the species. Both timothy and cocksfoot must have been received, for each were sown later that year at Walham Green, London, and the optimism and controversy regarding them led ultimately to a recognition of their worth and place in ley farming. The earliest sowing of American timothy in England occurred in 1743, but was without influence on agricultural thinking.Reference is made to the introduction of European species into North America, and also to the Georgical Committee set up in 1664 by the Royal Society.