166 Anthyllis Vulneraria (Lady^s Fingers). 



plant ; I never have cut any for hay, my object having been to 

 cultivate it more for the feed, which the sheep eat with great 

 avidity, and are soon satisfied. I think it a good astringent 

 when there is a tendency to scour. I ought to tell you that 

 mine is a large light-land sheep-farm, the greater part very poor 

 sand ; and it is on the poorest parts that I have been growing the 

 kidney vetch. 



" I am, Sir, yours very truly, 



" George Turner." 

 Jan. 26, 1866. 



P. H. Frere's Experience of Anthyllis. 



In the spring of 1863, on the recommendation of Mr. Stebbing 

 (of Stowe Beedon, Attleborough, Norfolk), I was induced to sow 

 about 4 acres as a layer, instead of rye-grass and trefoil, on some 

 poor heath-land — black sand with a chalk subsoil. In that dry 

 season the seeds on the rest of the field adjoining failed almost 

 entirely ; the Anthyllis looked very thin in April, 1864, and 

 was condemned, but was so much improved in May, that a part, 

 and then the whole plot, received a respite, and did very good 

 service in the scorching July that followed. After all the other 

 layers had been depastured by the sheep, and no fresh feed 

 had sprung up, the Anthyllis was still in reserve. 



I find the following note in my farm- book : "1864, July 26. 

 The lambs finished the Anthyllis ; having had 12 days feed for 

 220 ; 307 ewes were kept 4 days on the land after the lambs left. 

 Some little after-feed grew, and Avas eaten off by sheep which 

 also ranged over an adjoining heath, and left a light folding. 



I observed that where some stray seeds had been blown by the 

 wind at sowing-time on to the adjoining land (sown with rye- 

 grass and trefoil), the plants which grew therefrom were picked off 

 first by the sheep when that land was folded. In 1865 the layer, 

 now in its second year, was partly sheep-fed, partly cut for seed. 

 The farm-book notes, 1865, July 10, 90 shearling ewes finished 

 1 a. 2 r. 18 p. ; 14 days' keep. Calculating the week's keep at 

 6<Z. per head, the value of the feed comes to 37. 4*. per acre, and 

 it was reckoned to be as abundant and quite as hearty as the best 

 red clover on my farm growing on land of double the value ; the 

 ewes, which were for sale, and therefoi'e fresh in condition, 

 received a little cotton-cake in addition to the Anthyllis. 



The remainder of the plot, 2 a. 3 r. 27 p., was cut for seed on 

 the 21st of July, and carted on the 28th ; there were 6 waggon- 

 loads ; estimated at 5 tons of stover, or 1 ton 14 cwts. per acre. 

 This has lately been thrashed lightly by hand, to knock off the 



