1803. Experiments in }he Culture cf BuchWhcnl^ t2fc. 413 



ly got the maflery, and it never was worrh the reaping. I am 

 fure, I could not have procured from the patch, half the quan- 

 tity of feed which was fown. 



liaft year, 1802, on a fmall fieUl of very pood turnip Onl, with 

 a found gravel bottom, which liad been turnips the precedini; 

 crop, thoroughly limed and dunged, and eaten olf by ihcep, I 

 fowed a crop of barley in drills j and witli the fccond hoeing, gave 

 about a bulliel and half of faintloin leed, and eigJit pounds of red 

 clover to each acre. The clover grew extremely well ; and a thin 

 fprinkling of ftranger plants appeared, v/liich I concltidied mi^ht 

 be the faintfoin. Unluckily, however, for my experiment, the 

 barley crop bectlme exceffively rank; and, after liarvell, I could 

 only find the clover in fcattered patches, and could not be certain 

 that a Tingle plant of what I had conceived to be faintfoin remain- 

 ed. Anxious, however, to give every chance to my experiment, 

 I allowed the field, this year, to remain untouched, till I had 

 completed my turnip fallow, about the middle of June. I could 

 not then obferve a fingle plant, that could be fuppofed faintfoin, 

 and the clover was fo exceflively thin, as not to be worth pre- 

 ferving. The whole field, about two and a half Englifh acres, 

 had become a luxuriant crop of uhat we call here kunp-gcivatiSf 

 and threatened to be completely poifoned by that v/eed. 1 there- 

 fore ploughed and harrowed it three times, aiid made it again 

 into turnips; which, from the uncommon drought of this feafon, 

 will never, I dare fay, have roots of half a pound weighr. 



My third unfuccefsful experiment Mas likewife tried laft year. 

 A very fmall field, not an acre of ^^round^ which had received a 

 complete fummer-fallow, with both dung and lime, viras fov/n lail 

 Auguft, 1802, with lucern, in drills of about a foot interval. 

 The {^gA vegetated to a '«\'ifii ; but the frofls of lad winter killed 

 every plant. A few indeed, at dillaiu intervals, recovered in 

 fpring, and grew very decently, pulhing out long itrcng and carrot 

 roots \ but their number was lo inconhderable, and tlie weeds fo 

 very abundant and luxuriant, that it became necefi'ary to plough 

 all dov/n. 



Notwithftanding my total failure in the cultivation of faintfoin 

 and lucern, I have by no means given up the idea of trying both 

 again, at fome future opportunity; and fhall certainly communicate 

 the refult to you, whether fuccefsful or not. In the mean time I 

 beg leave to requeft fome of your more experienced Correfpond- 

 €nts to point out fuch circumlhinces as they know arc calculated 

 to fecure fuccefs. As for buck-wheat, I am, at leaft for the pre- 

 sent, difinclined to give it any farther trial; having fecn an attempt 

 as completely unfuccefsful as my own, on very fuperior foil, and 

 in the management of a moft attentive and intelligent agricultu- 



Q 3 rilt ; 



