LEGUMINOSvE. CLIX. ONOBRYCIIIS. 



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where there is a great depth of soil or mould. Marshal says, 

 that the poorest soils afford a large produce, and such as are 

 more rich and arable abundant crops. Still he conceives that it 

 is only on calcareous soils, as the dry chalk and limestone, or 

 such as have been well impregnated with that sort of matter, 

 that it succeeds in a perfect manner, or becomes durable. In 

 sandy soils, as in Norfolk, which are unfit for any other pur- 

 pose, under saintfoin will produce after the first year about two 

 tons per acre of excellent hay, with an after grass extremely 

 valuable for weaning and keeping lambs. 



The best preparation which any soil fit for this plant can un- 

 dergo is deep trenching, but the usual preparatory culture is the 

 same as for clover, ploughing however deeper than ordinary, 

 either by means of the trench plough, or by the common plough 

 going twice in the same tract. Boys (Communications to the 

 Board of Agriculture, vol. iii.) recommends as a preparation for 

 saintfoin, 1st year, pare and burn for turnips to be eaten on the 

 land by sheep ; 2nd, barley to be sown very early, with clover 

 seed; 3rd, clover eaten off by sheep ; 4th, wheat ; 5th, turnips, 

 with manure ; 6th, barley, with saintfoin. The corn crops must 

 be carefully weeded, and in particular cleared of charlock. Under 

 this system, the produce has been great, and the ground has been 

 laid down in the highest order with saintfoin, or any other grass 

 calculated for this species of soil. 



The season of sowing saintfoin; it may be observed, that the 

 earlier it can be put into the soil in spring the better, as from the 

 greater moisture of such soils at that season, there will be a 

 greater probability of their vegetating in a perfect manner ; 

 therefore the sowing of saintfoin seed should never be deferred 

 later than the beginning of March, and it is still better if 

 this work is completed in February. Some, however, think it 

 may be deferred to the middle of March without injury. 



The manner of sowing saintfoin seed is almost always broad- 

 cast, but it may be sown in drills, or even transplanted, though 

 neither of these modes can be recommended. Some advise its 

 being sown with about half the quantity of barley, which is 

 annually sown fora full crop, that it may shade and keep it moist 

 during the first summer, and at the same time not injure it from 

 the crop being lighter, which is sometimes the case. Where the 

 barley is drilled, the saintfoin may be put in afterwards in the 

 same manner, but in a contrary direction. If sown over wheat, 

 it should be harrowed in, and afterwards rolled. In whatever 

 manner it is sown, as the seeds are larger than those of many 

 other herbage plants, the ploughing the seed in with a very thin 

 or shallow furrow is recommended. In most cases, especially in 

 all the more light soils, in which this sort of crop is grown, the 

 use of the roller may be necessary immediately after the seed is 

 put into the ground. It is the practice in some districts to sow 

 a small portion of clover-seed with saintfoin, with the idea of in- 

 creasing the first year's produce, but it is perhaps better to in- 

 crease the quantity of saintfoin-seed without mixing it with that 

 of any other, as different kinds of herbage seed do not answer 

 well when sown together, from there being a continual contest 

 in their growth. It is, however, supposed by Marshal that such 

 a practice is beneficial in alternately procuring a fine clean crop 

 of saintfoin upon the land. It is a sort of crop that grows in so 

 perfect a manner in the broad-cast method, that there can seldom 

 be any necessity for having recourse to drills. It may, however, 

 be cultivated in the latter mode with much success. And in 

 Norfolk it is the practice with some cultivators to have it drilled 

 at nine inches apart across the barley field, which has been sown 

 in the same way, but in a contrary direction. 



The quantity of seed required in the broad-cast method, which 



is that mostly employed, is about four bushels the acre, though 



-less is frequently given, but on soils proper for this plant that 



quantity is always necessary. But when the drill system is 



adopted a smaller quantity is used, from two to three bushels per 

 acre. In Lincolnshire, where this plant is much grown, the 

 common allowance of seed is five bushels per acre. In that 

 county 4 pounds of trefoil-seed is recommended to be sown with 

 each acre of saintfoin. The reason for which is, that in that ex- 

 posed country, the young plants suffer more by the sun in sum- 

 mer than by the frost in winter. Of course, the trefoil coming 

 to perfection in the first year, and living only three, will be a 

 shelter for the young plants during the first year or two, and die 

 off when the saintfoin wants its room. 



In the choice of saintfoin-seed it is the best practice for the cul- 

 tivator to select it from the best and most abiding plants in his 

 particular soil, as such as is purchased from the seed-shops can 

 rarely be depended upon. -The external signs of good seed are, 

 that the husk is of a bright colour, and the kernel plump, of a 

 light grey or blue colour, a'nd sometimes of a shining black. The 

 seed may be good though the husk is black, which is owing 

 sometimes to the letting it receive wet on the field. If, when the 

 kernel is cut across, it appears greenish and fresh, it is a certain 

 sign that it is good. Seed of the former year's sowing is always 

 the best, as older seeds seldom vegetate in a perfect manner. 



The after culture and management of saintfoin consists in oc- 

 casional dressings with manure, and in the judicious intervention 

 of mowing and pasturing. The first year some farmers do not 

 mow it, while others do ; but the second year and the succeed- 

 ing summer a crop of hay may be taken, and the after grass In- 

 fed down with any sort of stock but sheep till towards Decem- 

 ber, care being taken that they do not eat it in too close a 

 manner, as where that is the case, from the largeness of the 

 roots, there may be danger of injuring the crowns of the plants. 

 In the following autumn there will, however, be less risk in this 

 respect, and sheep as well as cattle stock may be turned in and 

 kept upon the pastures till they are well eaten down, being 

 always careful to shut them up as early as possible in the begin- 

 ning of the year. This is the opinion of Kent. And it is sup- 

 posed, that as this sort of herbage is considered to be improved 

 by being nipped by the frost, it may be a proper practice not to 

 turn stock upon these leys too early in the autumnal season. 

 With this intention it may be adviseable to defer it till the latter 

 end of September, when this sort of rouen or after grass will 

 be found to have much effect in promoting the flow of milk in 

 cows, as well as in forwarding the condition of fattening beasts, 

 great store of feed being still left for sheep. But with this sort 

 of stock they should not be too closely fed down, or the sheep 

 remain too long upon them, as much injury may be sustained 

 by it. It has been suggested that all sort of cattle stock should 

 be removed by the beginning of the year from these rouens, 

 as much harm may be done by their continuing longer. 



In top dressing saintfoin, peat ashes are the best material that 

 can be made use of, where they can be procured in sufficient 

 quantity. And other sorts of ashes are likewise found beneficial 

 where these cannot be had. This should be applied so as to 

 form a thin, even, regular dressing over the whole surface of the 

 crop. In this view soot has also been found of great utility, 

 when spread evenly over such leys in the beginning of January, 

 in the proportion of 25 to 30 bushels to the acre. Malt dust 

 has also been employed in the same way with considerable 

 success ; and it is supposed where these sorts of dressings can 

 be applied every third or fourth year, the sainlfoin erops, when 

 well established in the soil, may be preserved in a state of vi- 

 gorous growth for 10 or 15 years or more, and the land be 

 considerably improved by the roots striking so deeply into it. 



In taking and using the saintfoin crop, the same practice may 

 be followed as for taking clover ; it may be mown for soiling or 

 hay or seed, and eaten on the spot by tethering, hurdling, or 

 common pasturing. In making it into hay, it is cut immediately 



