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be cut in a dry time, and when it is well dried, it may 

 be houfed until winter, if the feeds are not wanted 

 before, when the feeds fhould be threfhedout; but 

 if the feeds are wanted for immediate fowing, it may 

 be threfhed out before it be houfed or (lacked ; but 

 then it muft be well dried, othei-wife the feeds will not 

 quit their huiks. 



It has been a great complaint amongfl: the farmers, 

 that they could not threlh out thefe feeds without 

 great labour and difficulty ; which I take to be chiefly 

 owing to their cutting the fpring crop when it begins 

 to flower, and fo leave the fecond crop for feed, which 

 ripens fo late in autumn, that there is not heat enough 

 to dry thehuflcs fufficiently, whereby they are tough, 

 and the feeds rendered difficult to get out ; which may 

 be entirely remedied by leaving the firft crop for feed, 

 as hath been diredted, and then the ground will be 

 ready to plough, and prepare for "Wheat the fame 

 year, which is another advantage.. 

 When cattle are fed with this hay, the beft way is to 

 put it in racks, otherwife they will tread a great quan- 

 tity of it down with their feet. ^ This feed is much 

 better for' moft other cattle than milch cows, fo that 

 thefe ffiould rarely have any of it, left it prove hurt- 

 ful to them ; though when it is dry, it is not near fo 

 injurious to any fort of cattle as when 'green. . 

 The fecond fort grows naturally in moft of the paf- 

 tures in England, and is generally known among the 

 country people by the title of white Honeyfuckle. 

 This is an abiding plant, whofe branches trail upon 

 the ground, and fend out roots from every joint, fo that 

 it thickens and makes the clofeft fward of any of the 

 fown GrafTes •, and it is the fweeteft feed for all forts of 

 cattle yet known i therefore when land is defigned to 

 be laid down for pafture, with intent to continue fo, 

 there Ihould always be a quantity of the feeds of this 

 plant fown with the Grafs feeds. The ufual allowance 

 of this feed is eight pounds to one acre of land, but 

 this (hould never be fown with Corn ; for if there is 

 a crop of Corn, the Grafs will be fo weak under it, as 

 to be fcarce worth ftandine : but fuch is the covetouf- 

 nefs of moft farmers, that they will not be prevailed 

 on to alter their old cuftom of laying down their 

 grounds with a crop of Corn, though they lofe twice 

 the value of their Corn by the poornefs of the Grafs, 

 ■which never will come to a good fward, and one whole 

 feafon is alfo loft •, for if this feed is fown in the fpring 

 -without Corn, there will be a crop of hay to mow by 

 the middle or latter end of July, and a much better 

 after-feed for cattle the following autumn or winter, 

 than the Grafs which is fown with Corn will produce 

 the fecond year. The feed of this fort may, alfo be 

 fown with Grafs feeds in autumn, in the manner be- 

 fore direfted for the common red Clover; and this 

 autumnal fowing, if the feeds grow kindly, will afford 

 a good early crop of hay the following fpring ; and if, 

 after the hay is taken off the land, the ground is well 

 rolled, it will caufe the Clover to mat qlofe upon the 

 ground, and become a thick fward. ; ^^ 



The feeds of this white Dutch Clover is annually im- 

 ported from Flanders, by the way of Holland, from 

 •whence it received the name of Dutch Clover ; not 

 that it is more a native of that country than of this, 

 for it is very common in moift paftures in every county 

 inEno-land, but the feedswere never colleftedfor fow- 

 ino- here till of late years : nor are there many perfons 

 atprefent here who fave this feed, although it maybe 

 done, if the fame care as is praftifed for the red Clo- 

 ver, is taken with this fort ; therefore it Ihould be 

 recommended to every farmer, who is defirous to im- 

 prove his land, carefully to fow an acre or two of this 

 white Clover by itfelf for feeds, which will fave him 

 the expence of buying the feeds, which are often fold 

 at a great price, and there will be no want of fale 

 for any quantity they may have to fpare. 

 The farther account of this Grafs, may be feen under 



the article Pasture. 



The third fort grows naturally among the Grafs in moft 



of the upland paftures in this country, but the feeds 



arc frequently fold in the fhops by the title of Hop 



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Clover, and are by many people mixed with the other* 

 forts of Clover and Grafs feeds, for laying down ground 

 to pafture: this grows with upright branching ftalks 

 about a foot high, which are garnifhed with trifoliate 

 leaves whofe lobes are oblong and heart-fhaped, but 

 reverfed at the narrow point, joining the foot-ftalks. 

 The flowers grow from the wings ot the ftalk upon 

 long foot-ftalks, and are coUefted into oval imbricat- 

 ed heads ; they are yellow, and have naked empale- 

 ments lying over each other like fcales, fomewhat like 

 the flowers of Hops, from whence this plant had the 

 title of Hop Clover, But there are two forts of this 

 which grow naturally in England. The other, which 

 is the fourth fort, is a much fmaller plant than this, 

 and has trailing ftalks,' The heads of flowers are 

 fmaller, and the flowers are of a deeper yellow co- 

 lour ; thefe are not abiding plants, fo are by no means 

 proper to be fown where the ground is defigned to 

 continue in pafture; but in fuch places where one or 

 two crops only are taken, and the land is ploughed 

 again for Corn, it may do well enough when it is 

 mixed with other feeds, though the cattle are not very 

 fond of it green, unlefs when it is very young. The 

 large fort is the moft profitable, but this is rarely to 

 be had without a mixture of the fmall kind, and alfo 

 of the fmaller Mehlot, which is commonly called 

 None-fuch, or fometimes Black Seeds, for thofe who 

 fave the feeds for fale, are feldom curious enougii to 

 diftinguifli the forts -, but where the beauty of the ver- 

 dure is confidered, there muft not be any of thefe 

 feeds fown, becaufe their yellow heads of flowers are 

 very unfightly among the Grafs; and if it is in gardens 

 where the Grafs is conftantly mowed, the flowers of 

 thefe plants will come out near the root in fuch cluf- 

 ters, as to occafion large, unfightly, yellow patches; 

 and as the heads decay they turn brown, and have a 

 very difagreeable appearance. 



The fifth fort grow^ naturally on chalky lands in many 

 parts of England, and in fome counties the feed is 

 fown after the fame manner as the common redClover, 

 cfpecially on chalky ground, where it will thrive, and 

 produce a better crop than Clover. The ftalks of this 

 are hairy, and grow ere£t to the height of two feet or 

 more, and are garniflied with trifoliate leaves, ftand- 

 ing upon long foot-ftalks, whofe lobes are longer than 

 thofe of the red Clover, and have no marks of white ; 



.they are of a yellowifli green colour, and are covered 

 with foft hairs. The flowers grow in oval fpikes at 

 th^bridbf the branches, they are of a pale copper 

 colour ; their petals are long and tubulous, but the 



, brim is divided into tvvb lips as the other forts. It 

 flowers and ripens its feeds about the fame time as the 

 common Clover, , . . 



This is known by the title of Trefoil in the places where 

 it is cultivated, but the feedfmen fell theHopCloverby 

 that name; fo they make no diftindion between this 

 the Hop Clover, and Nonefuch; therefore, by which 

 of thefe three titles the feeds are bought, they prove 

 the fame. This fort of Trefoil is much cultivated in 

 that part of Efiix which borders on Cambridgefliire. 

 The fixth fort grows naturally in Spain and Italy -, 

 this has upright ftalks near two feet high, which are 

 hairy, and garniihed with trifoliate leaves, havino- 

 roundifli lobes which are fawed at their points. The 

 flowers are produced at the top of the ftalk, in lono-, 

 obtufe, hairy fpikes ; they are of a bright red colour, 

 fo make a pretty appearance during their continuance. 

 It is an annual plant, fo is not proper for fowing with 

 Grafs, otherwife it makes good fodder. 

 The feventh fort is an annual plant, which grows na- 

 turally in the fouth of France and Italy ; it rifes with 

 a ftrong herbaceous ftalk near three feet high, which 

 is fmooth, and garniftied with trifoliate leaves, whofe 

 lobes are two inches and a half long, and near a quar- 

 ter broad, ftanding upon long foot-ftalks, which are 

 embraced by ftipulse or ftieaths their whole length. 

 I'he flowers are produced at the top of the ftalks In 

 very long fpikes ; they are of a beautiful red colour, fo. 



make a fine appearance. 



feeds ripen m autumn 



Jul/: 



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