Chap. IX. LUCERNE. 357 



and without oats, ivill be in better plight, Jlronger, and more vigorous, 

 than thofe ivhicb are fed lijith meadow hay and corn in the ufual way. 

 It is now fome time fince I have fed my coach horfes with it, and 

 have retrenched their oats. Inftead of this lafl: food, and at the 

 hours they ufed to have it, I gave them hicerne chopt, as the Spa- 

 niards do ftraw to their horfes. iMine are as fond of itj and fhew 

 the fame impatience to find it in their manger, as if it was oats ; 

 and fmce their being put under this diet, they are in better condi- 

 tion than before, and fo mettlefome that the coachman has enough 

 to do to keep them in. 



" When I faid that retrenching the oats would be a confiderable 

 faving, I did not fo much mean the faving of the expence of that 

 corn, as the better improving of many vaft tradls of land which are 

 fown with- oats, and might,, with proper management j produce 

 much more ufeful, and more profitable forts of grain, notwithfland- 

 ing the too general prejudice, that fome lands are not capable of 

 bearing any better. . For my part, I am thoroughly fatisfied, that 

 whatever ground can bear a crop of oats, can like wife, under the 

 new hufbandry, bear any other grain. . 



Continuation of M. de Chateau-vieux'j account of his experiments on 

 Lucerne, in the years 1755 and 1756. 



<* 'T~*'HE great drought of the year 1755, was accompanied with 

 -*• great heat; and the year 1756 was very rainy, and mo- 

 derately warm, there being but very few hot days in it. 



" The lucerne was expofed to a moft fevere winter in 1755, when 

 the froft was exceflive hard, and lafted very long. M. de Reaumur's 

 thermometer was fome days, at different times, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 13 

 degrees below the freezing point j and on the 3d of Febtoiary, a 

 thermometer in the open air, ftood at 16 degrees * below freezing, 

 Thefe fevere. frofts made me uneafy for my lucerne, v/hich: how- 

 ever .bore, them, without ■ receiving any damage. . 



'* The. 



* The greateft' cold' in the winter of'thfc year 1739-40, funk. Fareniieit's thermo- 

 meter to about 12 degrees, equal to 11 degrees below the freeziug point ot M. de 

 Reaumur's thermometer. The i6th- degree below the freezing point of M. de Reau- 

 mur's thermometer, anfwers to nearly the 3d degree of Farenheit's : confequently the 

 cold was, by Farenheit's thermometer, .9 degrees greater in Switzerland. in 1755, than 

 ft was here in the fevereft froft of the very hard winter in 1739-4.0: and therefore, as 

 M. de Chateau-vieux's lucerne was not hurt by thathitenie coiJ, there can be no feSt": 

 «f thts pjant's being killed by any inclemcjQcy of the weather in this country. 



