322 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



horses and a cow duriiii,' the whole ol'thc summer, 

 has already given three crops of hay, on that part 

 of the field whicli has not been cut ibrsoilinty, to 

 the estimated quantity ol" five tons. The fourth 

 crop, now <Trowin<r, measures two ("eet in height. 



Sept. 2lst. The fourth crop ol" lucerne mown 

 this day lor liay. 



Sept. 2ith. The h'ay carried in in excellent 

 condition : the weather having been dry and hot, 

 the only preparation requisite was, to turn ilie crop 

 once; this crop is equal to any of ttie preceding 

 cuttings. 



Sept. 26th. A portion of the field from whence 

 gravel had been dug, and the part levelled, has al- 

 ways dried up after producing one crop of hay in 

 the summer, the substratum being impenetrable: 

 tiiat spot has this day been covered to the depth 

 of five inches with fresh earth, preparatory to 

 trenching and resowing. 



Oct. 'iSth. The trenching of the gravelly spot 

 has been delayed, but the shoots of the lucerne 

 have penetrated the earth through a space of five 

 inches, and it is now determined to allow it to re- 

 main untrenched. 



JVov. 23d. A fifth crop will not come to suffi- 

 cient maturity for hay, but there is excellent Ibod 

 for horses and cattle. 



j^pril Sth. The gravelly spot is the best and 

 earliest part of the field ; scarcely an inch in space, 

 without a vigorous shoot of lucerne. 



3Iay 6th. Commenced mowing the crop of lu- 

 cerne Ibr soiling, a remarkably heavy crop, more 

 than two feel in height. 



llth. The first crop mown for hay this day. A 

 space six feet square, taken as a fair average of 

 the field, yielded twenty-three pounds in weight 

 as soon as cut; afer one day's exposure it had 

 lost eight pounds in weight, showing that a gallon 

 of water had evaporated in twenty- lour hours fiom 

 this small quantity of green food.* 



2od. The hay carried in in good condition — not 

 injured by five rainy days, the crop lyinir light, by 

 means of its lariie stalks, requiring only careful 

 turning now and then. 



June 26th. A second crop mown for hay, mea- 

 suring two feet eight inches in height. The wea- 

 ther has been remarkably hot and dry, the result 

 has been, a growth in the crop ol" two inches in 

 height every twenty-lour hours, the last four days. 



July 17th. The third crop ol" lucerne measures 

 seventeen inches in height; the weather is ex- 

 tremely hot and dry, all the meadows are parched, 

 and farmers are comjielled to feed their cattle on 

 hay ; the lucerne grows away as though it had a 

 shower every night. 



22d. The crop on the gravelly side has again 

 failed ; a first and second crop come earlier and 

 grow more vigorous on this part of the field than 

 on any other ; but alter that, it sufi'ers l"rom a want 

 of depth of soil, aflording a liimiliar illustration of 

 the parable of the sower, (Matth. xii. 5ih and 6th 

 verses.) The seed vvhicii fell on stony ground 

 immediately sprang up because it had not much 

 depth of earth, and consequently soon felt the in- 

 fluence of the sun, but when the sun was in full 

 vigor, it was parched, and lor want of nourish- 

 ment withered away. 



j^Lig. 7th. The third crop of lucerne mown 

 this day for hay ; a very heavy crop, many ol" the 



* Twelve tons, eight hundred and fifty lbs. per acre. 



plants in blossom. From the first to the second 

 mowing, one month and fifteen days ; from the 

 second to the third cutting, one month and eleven 

 days ; and after this the field was rented to a te- 

 nant ibr £30 sterling per annum. 

 Field, No. II. 



Sept. Sth. A piece of land was sown this day 

 with lucerne seed of" this summer's growth, unac- 

 companied with any crop. 



March 20th. The lucerne sown on the Sth of Ia?t 

 September, with seed of that summer's growth, 

 has stood the sevgrity of the winter, and the crop 

 measures six inches in height this day. 



3Iay 4th. Cut the first crop of lucerne this day, 

 two feet in height. 



June I4th. A second crop mown this day, equal 

 to the first. 



July 14th. The third crop mown this day, 

 twenty-six inches in height. 



August 24th. The Iburth crop was mown this 

 day, equal to any of the preceding. 



Sept. 5th. ft was on this day last year, Ihat this 

 crop was sown with seed of that sumn)er's pro- 

 duction : the filih crop from which measures a loot 

 in height this day. 



Field No. in. 



Major T. sowed a field with lucerne, in May of 

 last year, unaccotnpanied with any crop ; three 

 heavy crops were taken for soiling during the sum- 

 mer, and on the fourth of May of the present 

 year, it was mown for hay, a very heavy crop : 

 thus giving fbur crops in the space of one year 

 from the time of sowing the seed. 

 Field No. IF. 



Colonel T. has a field of lucerne of four acres, 

 in full vigor; the crop, after cultinjr, measured 

 three feet seven inclies in length. He mowed a 

 third crop for hay fi-om this field on the 21st of 

 July. 



Field No. V. 



M. A., esq., in breaking up an old unproductive 

 meadow, Ibr the purpose of seeding it with lucerne, 

 adopted the Ibllowing mode. In September, the 

 land was ploughed to the lull depth of the soil, 

 and sowed with winter tares, or vetches. These 

 were cut fbr hay in Maj', and yielded three tons 

 per acre. The land was immediately ploughed 

 and repeatedly harrowed, and the weeds were 

 collected and burnt : a plentiful crop ot"seed weeds 

 soon made their appearance, which were plough- 

 ed down ; the land was again harrowed, and the 

 weeds were again collected and burnt: this was 

 repeated until the soil was as clean as a garden, 

 when it had a very thick coat of" well rutted stable 

 dung, which was very carefully turned in, and lu- 

 cerne seed was sown in September, without any 

 other crop; and during the next summer it was 

 cut five times, either fbr soiling or lor hay : the fifili 

 crop lor soiling was commenced cutting on the 

 25ih September. 



So far the journal, which needs no comment. 



From tlie Zanesville Gazette. 

 LUCERNE, OR FRENCH CLOVER. 



Ijucerne, sometimes called "French clover," is 

 a kind ol" grass, which, in some situations in Eu- 

 rope, is cultivated with great advantage, and has 



