

HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 189 



Experiments. At the time of flowering, the produce from a 



clayey loam is 



Produce per Acre, 

 dr. qr. Ibs. 



Herbage, 36 oz. The produce per acre 24502 8 



80 dr. of herbage weigh, when dry 40 7 



The produce of the space, ditto - 288 3 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 12251 4 



64 dr. of herbage afford of nutritive matter 2 1 7 



The produce of the space, ditto 20 1 3 



The merits of this vetchling, in point of produce and nutrient 

 qualities, appear, by the following comparison, to be much inferior 

 to those of the red or broad-leaved cultivated clover : 



Ibs. 



Trifolmmpratense, ") *r j (-Green food - 49005 



- 12251 

 .Nutritive matter 1914 



Trifolmmpratense, ~j f Green i 



Broad-leaved cultivated \ Hay 



Clover, 3 iNutriti 



The red clover therefore exceeds in value that of the yellow 

 vetchling, in the proportion nearly of 7 to 3. The weight of hay 

 afforded by the yellow vetchling is equal to that afforded by the 

 red clover, which arises from the greater quantity of superfluous 

 moisture contained in the latter, and the greater proportion of 

 woody fibre in the produce of the former : hence one pound of 

 the hay of red clover contains 40 dr. of nutritive matter, while an 

 equal weight of the yellow vetchling hay contains only 17 dr. 

 2 grains. 



This vetchling is not unfrequent in good pastures and in rich 

 meadows : it delights in moisture, and it attained to the greatest 

 perfection in a tenacious clayey soil. It is a late-springing plant, 

 and the shoots come up thinly, but attain to a great length. It 

 appears to be eaten by oxen, cows, and sheep, but with less relish 

 than they seem to L have for the Vicia sepium, (creeping vetch,) 

 or the red and white clovers. The nutritive matter it affords, 

 contains a much greater proportion of insoluble and bitter ex- 

 tractive matters than the plants now mentioned. It affords little 

 or no sugar. One hundred parts of the nutritive matter sub- 

 mitted to the action of cold and boiling water, and alcohol, 

 separately, afforded me 



