t H2 ] 



How long this crop might c!:ontinuc to be annually 

 cut over, without wearing out, I cannot fay; I be- 

 lieve a long while, in favourable circumftances; but 

 I muft now take notice of a peculiarity, that unlefs 

 guarded againll, will very foon extirpate it, as I my- 

 felf experienced. 



The natural progrefs of this plant has been de- 

 fcribed above with tolerable accuracy, but one par- 

 ticular was omitted. During the beginning of the 

 feafon, nature feems to be folely employed about 

 the great work of frudification only, and it is not till 

 near Midfummer that the whin begins to pufh forth 

 its wood-bearing branches, which advance with 

 great luxuriance only during the latter part of the 

 feafon. Hence it happens, that if care be not 

 taken to have the grafs that fprings up on the field 

 before the whin begins to fend out its fhoots eaten 

 clofe down, that grafs will acquire fuch a luxuri- 

 ance before the young branches of the whin begin 

 to advance, as to overtop them, and choak them 

 entirely. Whoever therefore has a field under this 

 particular crop, mud be careful to advert to this 

 circumftance, or, if the field be in good heart, he 

 will infallibly lofe it. The field therefore fliould be 

 kept, as a pafture, bare as pofilble during the be- 

 ginning of the feafoT), and the cattle fhould only be 

 taken from it when the Ihoots of the whin are dif- 



covered 



