Alfalfa in Kew York. 411 



fowls and pigeon-houses, well dried by the sun and reduced into 

 powder, but it seems very scarce and too difficult to be got in 

 this country, although a great deal less of this last manure would 

 be required, as in the proportion of one to nine. Dung of cows, 

 horses, or any other cattle, ought to be rejected as bad manure 

 upon lucern, because they bring with them such a quantity of 

 weeds as to poison the best lucern in the course of two years." 



Produce. 



" The third year the lucern has acquired its full strength; then, 

 upon a common average, one acre will produce, viz.: 



T 1 



The first crop 2,500 weight. 



The second crop 1,400 weight. 



The third crop 000 weight. 



" After the third crop, let it be fed upon by your cows all the 

 remainder of the fall. 



" Such a piece of lucern will last from 9 to 10 years. But 

 however great may appear the profit of that culture, there is a 

 greater one after the lucern is worn out — - 1 mean the richness 

 afforded to the ground by the roots of that plant, which is such 

 that the first year that the lucern has been plowed up I was never 

 able to raise wheat which grew too rich, tall, luxuriant and lodg- 

 ing. Instead of wheat, then, you must sow barley or oats." 



Mowing. 



" The most proper time to get good and tender forage, relished 

 by the cattle, is to mow lucern when in full bloom, or a little 

 before the ripeness of the seed. 



" Another advantage of mowing early is to have the weeds cut 

 down, which otherwise Avould come to seed and spread over the 

 field. 



" When the weather is clear, one or two days arc sufficient to 

 dry your lucern hay, and by spreading over each row a thin bed 

 of any straw (that of oats and barley is the best) you may carry 

 your lucern to the barn without any danger of being heated or 

 rotten. The straw so intermixed with lucern, receiving the 

 juicy emanations of it, becomes more palatable, and it is eaten 

 like the best hay by the cattle. It would be needless to observe 

 what increase of food that process affords to a farm." 



