Mr. Livingflon^s Experiments on Lucerne, yy 



for our climate. The principles they maintain are — ift. That 

 lucerne does not attain any confiderable degree of ftrength till 

 the third year ; hence the neceflity with them of drilling and 

 hoeing to keep down the weeds. Some that I fowed this year 

 with my barley, as well as a crop which my neighbour Mr. De 

 La Bigarre fowed with his, yielded, on being cut this very 

 autumn after his barley, almofl eleven hundred weight per 

 acre, convinces me that its growth is more rapid here than in 

 England — (In this however it is not peculiar, as I fhall on fome 

 other occafion fhew that plants grow more rapidly by two- 

 fifths here than in Britain) I am therefore very doubtful 

 whether it will not pay as much and as early, provided from 

 16 to 24 lb. of feed are fown to the acre, as the mixed crop 

 would do. This I fhall next year afcertain with accuracy^ — 

 Should it be eflablillied on experim.ent, the clover-feed fhould' 

 e omitted, as it tends to check the lucerne, and to render the 

 crop thin when it dies out ; befides, that neither fpringing fo 

 early, nor bearing drought fo well, it muft be confidered as 

 inferior, in every refpeft, to the lucerne. There is one 

 confideration however in its favour, that is, that in warm 

 fituatlon?, the lucerne will be fit to cut before the clover rifes 

 to the fcythe. The fecond crop in this cafe, will be earlier, 

 on account of the clover, which will confift almofl wholly 

 of it, becaufe having efcaped the v/ounds which the lucerne 

 received, it will be ready to take the field before the lucerne 

 has recovered from its amputition. 



