Chap. IX. O F L U C E R N E. -> 345 



' I have meafured the crown of one root which was in my polTef- 

 ' fion, eighteen inches diameter^ from which I cut near four hun- 

 ' dred fhoots at one time, \\laich is an extraordinary increafe, and 



* this upon a poor dry gravelly foil, which had not been dunged for 

 ' many years, but the root was at lead ten years old ; fo that if 

 ' this crop be well cultivated, it will continue many years*, and 



* be equally good as when it was firll fown : for the roots gene- 

 ' rally run down very deep in the ground, provided the foil be 



* dry J and although they fhould meet a hard gravel a foot below 

 ' the furface, yet their roots would penetrate it, and make their 

 ' way downwards, as I have experienced, having taken up fome of 

 ' them which were above a yard in length, and had run two feet 



* into a rock of gravel, fo hard as not to be loofened without mat- 



* tocks and crows of iron, and that with much difficulty. 

 " The reafon for direifling this feed to be fown in rows is, that 



* the plants may have room to grow ; and for the better ftirring 

 ' the ground between them, to deftroy the weeds, and encourage 

 ' the growth of the plants, which may be very eafily eifefted with 

 ' a Dutch hoe, jull after the cutting the crop each time, which 

 ' will caufe the plants to flioot again in a very little time, and be 

 ' much Wronger than in fuch places where the ground cannot be 

 ' ftirred: but when the plants firft come up, the ground between 



* fhould be hoed with a common hoei and if in doing of this you 

 ' cut up the plants where they are too thick, it will caufe the re- 

 ' maining to be much flronger. This hoeing fliould be repeated 



* two or three times while the plants are young, according as the 



* weeds are produced, obferving always to do it in dry weather, 



* that the weeds may the better be deftroyed; for if it be done in 

 ' moift weather, they will root and grow again. 



" With this management, the plants will grow to the height of 



* two feet, or more, by the beginning of Auguft, when the flow- 



* ers will begin to appear, at which time the lucerne fhould be 

 ' cut, obferving to do it in a dry feafon, if it is to be made hay, 



* and keep it often turned, that it may foon dry, and be carried 



* off the ground j for if it lie long upon the roots, it will prevent 



* their fhooting again. After the crop is taken off, you fhould flir 



Yy «the 



* M. Duhamel likewlfc fays, that it will continue a long time on the fame 

 ■ground, if care betaken that the natural grafs or weeds do not choak it; for as 

 Icon as any other plants come up amongft lucerne, it decays gradually and dies, fo 

 that very little of it will remain at the end of a few years. 



