366 ' O F C L O V E R. Part III. 



rootSj, and other tra/li, by going over it with fine topth'd harrows : 

 but lie differs from him in regard to the quantity of feed, the for- 

 mer ftrongly recommending never to fow lefs than twenty pounds 

 upon an acre. 



He obferves that " many will objed; againfl this, as a double 

 *• charge, becaufe, fay they, I never knew any .man who fowed above 

 «♦ half that quantity. — —I anfvver," continues he, " they never 

 " knew any man who reap'd half the profit which he might have 

 " done by "it, if they had followed my dirediions. It is obfervable, 

 " that there are more ignorant men, who profefs hufbandry, than 

 *' of any other art ; and yet fewer of this profeffion, than any of the 

 " reft, vv^ho think they can be taught. A man, not poffelTed of 

 *' this temper, would eafily imagine that the thicker this little feed 

 " is fown, the thicker it v/ill fpring, and the better keep down all 

 " weeds, and common grafs, and, confequently, become of double 

 " advantage. 



" Sowing clover in September, inftead of the fpring, and fowing. 

 '' it alone, ^has many conveniencies : it will rife thick, and fwarth 

 " the ground, before the hard weather comes in j and thereby not 

 *' only gather ftrength, to defend itfelf againft the winter frofts ; 

 " but will be fo early in the fpring, that you might mow it, the firft 

 " time, in the very beginning of May, or, perhaps, fooner. 



" When the firil hard froll has bound the earth fo fail that you 

 " may bring horfes upon it, without damage to the roots of the 

 *' clover, this is the very point of time in which you fhould beilow 

 " about eight or ten load of fea-ouze, fea-fand, Iheep's dung, or 

 " that of our flercorary, upon every acre, taking care to fpread it as 

 « equally as may be, that, when the frofl diflblves, the rains may 

 '* drive the ftrength of the manure into the earth, which, in the 

 " tender infancy of the new turf, will eafily admit it, to the nourifl:i- 

 " ment of the roots, and furprifing increafe of your clover, both as 

 ♦< to quantity and fweetnefs." 



M. Duhamel mentions the following experiment, made by M. de 

 Pontbriant of P.ennes in Britany. He lowed 296 fquare toifes, with 

 flax and hemp, mixed with clover feed. As foon as the former 

 were plucked up, the clover appeared, and grew fo well that it was 

 cut in November of the fame year. It was weeded in February, 

 and mowed again in the beginning of May. As it was too thick, 

 he made alleys in it a foot wide. Thefe alleys furnifhed him with 

 plants euoutrh to garnilh 888 fquare tqifes of land. He looks upon 

 * ■ the 



