Cultivation of Arable Land* Lucern. Tares. 385 



date and nature of the foil, and the attention that is bedowed in the after-manage 

 ment. This is, undoubtedly, a circumftance of the firft importance, in cafes where 

 the cultivator wifhes to avoid the trouble and expenfe of grain crops, as he can 

 keep a fuitable extent of land under this crop for the purpofe of foiling his (lock 

 without them, while with clover it is utterly impofllble.* Where the proportion 

 of land is fmall, and the quantity of cattle and horfe (lock difproportionately large, 

 it is a plant admirably calculated for the cultivator s purpofe, when grown conve 

 niently to the farm yards and kept in due order by proper cultivation. It has 

 alfo been recommended on dairy farms as of great utility in fupporting the cows 

 and increafing the quantity of milk.f Where the foils are fuitable a few acres under 

 this grafs round the houfe mud in almoft all cafes be valuable for the purpofe of 

 early green food. 



On attempting to break up lands that have been long under this fort of crop, it has 

 been fometimes found from the great drength of the roots of the lucern plants, and 

 the confequent difficulty of deftroying them, that the crops have been redored in 

 fuch a manner as to induce the cultivators to leave it again for the production of 

 this grafs. ^ In (ituations where fuch grounds could be conveniently flooded, or 

 covered with water occafionally, they might, therefore, be very advantageoufly con 

 verted into good meadow or grafs lands ; a fort of application that has long fincc 

 been recommended by a French writer. 



When fuch lands are perfectly broken up, they afford, in mod cafes, admirable 

 crops of the grain kind. Oats, as being the lead injured by a luxuriant growth, 

 may in general be the mod advifable as the fird crop. 



The nature, cultivation, and modes of applying different forts of artificial grafles 

 in the feeding of live dock being explained, we fhall conlider a few other plants 

 of the herbaceous kind, which feem properly to belong to this place, from their 

 great importance and ufe in affording plentiful fupplies of green food for the fup- 

 port of cattle or other forts of live dock. 



Tares.\\ This is a plant which, from its tall, clofe, hardy growth and fucculent 

 nature, is capable of being introduced with vad advantage in the manner of thofe of 

 the artificial grafs kind, between different forts of grain crops, with the view of pre 

 venting the fertility of the land from being too much expended, and at the fame time 



* Young s Eaftern Tour, vol. IV. f Annals of Agriculture, vol. XXV. 



J Young s Annals, vol. XXV. De Serres en Theatre d Agriculture, p. 442. 



|| Vicia sativa. 



VOL. ii. 3 D 



