CROPS. 273 



extremely rich loam, which, from its high cultivation, might be 

 called a vegetable garden mould, and to which no lime had been 

 applied, and none certainly was apparent. 



It is a highly-productive plant, with small, pointed leaves, 

 rather coarse branches and stem, and bearing a small blue flower. 

 It may be cut twice in a season, and then fed, and will yield, 

 under good cultivation, from one and a half to two tons of dried 

 fodder to an acre ; but it is not so productive as lucern. It is 

 not so apt to become heated as clover, not being as succulent : 

 it will grow where clover will not grow ; and drawing its nour 

 ishment from a greater depth, it is less liable to suffer from 

 drought. It may be cut, arid afterwards fed off by sheep the 

 first year of its growth ; but it is not in the best condition for 

 mowing until about the third year after planting, and then it 

 will continue for eight or ten years. I have said one of its prin 

 cipal uses is for soiling, and for this it is much esteemed. Though 

 it may not be so valuable as lucern, clover, Italian rye grass, or 

 Indian corn, where the latter can be grown, yet there is an ob 

 vious advantage in a variety of food ; it is more agreeable to the 

 animals themselves, and some plants will flourish in some seasons, 

 and some soils, in which others would fail. I have seen it cul 

 tivated in New England in one case only, and that not with 

 much success ; the winter was deemed too severe for it. 



The amount of seed sown to an acre is four bushels in the 

 chaff; and it may be sown with barley, or alone. The seed is 

 of very uncertain quality, and should be tried in a pot. Sainfoin 

 is a great exhauster of the soil, when suffered to ripen its seed. 



Lord Essex gives an account of curing a crop of sainfoin, 

 which was cut on Monday and Tuesday of the last week in 

 June, when in full flower. It was once turned on Wednesday, 

 and carried and stacked on Thursday and Friday. The weather 

 was dry and hot, but the hay was still so green, that much mois 

 ture exuded upon pressure. It was stacked with alternate layers 

 of oat straw. It came out in the finest condition, and the inter 

 leaved straw was much improved. It is well known that, with 

 us, clover is often cut in the morning, turned once merely, in a 

 hot sun, and then packed away, the different layers being well 

 salted, at the rate of more than a peck of salt to the load. In 

 this way, where the moisture proceeds from the sap, and not 



