310 HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 



Produce per Acre, 

 dr. qr. Ibs. 



64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 217 g^g ^ g 

 The produce of the space, ditto 8 If 5 



This plant has been recommended for cultivation by Dr. Ander- 

 son, Mr. Curtis, and Mr. Woodward. Linnaeus says that cows, 

 goats, and horses eat it; and that sheep and swine are not fond of 

 it. With regard to sheep, as far as my observations have extended, 

 they eat it in common with the herbage with which it is usually 

 combined; the flowers, it is true, appeared always untouched, and, 

 in dry pastures, little of the plant is seen or presented to cattle, 

 except the flowers, on account of its diminutive growth in such 

 situations. This, however, is nearly the case with white or Dutch 

 clover ; sheep seldom touch the flowers while any foliage is to be 

 found. 



Mr. Woodward informs us that it makes extremely good hay in 

 moist meadows, where it grows to a greater height than the trefoils, 

 and seems to be of a quality equal, if not superior to most of them. 

 Professor Martyn observes, that in common with several other 

 leguminous plants, it gives a substance to hay, and perhaps 

 renders it more palatable and wholesome to cattle. It has been 

 already observed, that the clovers contain more bitter extractive 

 and saline matters than the proper natural grasses, and the bird's- 

 foot trefoils contain more of these vegetable principles than the 

 clovers ; in pastures and meadows, therefore, where the clovers 

 happen to be in small quantities, a portion of the trefoil (Lotus cor- 

 niculatus) would doubtless be of advantage; but it appears to con- 

 tain too much of the bitter extractive and saline matters to be 

 cultivated by itself, or without a large intermixture of other plants. 



It does not spring early in the season, but continues to vege- 

 tate late in the autumn. In irrigated meadows, where the pro- 

 duce is generally more succulent than in dry pastures, this plant 

 cannot with safety be recommended, at least in any considerable 

 quantity. It is more partial to dry soils than the next species, 

 Lotus major; it attains to a considerable height when growing 

 among shrubs, and seems to lose its prostrate or trailing habit of 

 growth entirely when in such situations. 



It comes into flower about the second week of June, and the 

 seed is ripe about the end of July, and successively till the end 

 of autumn. 



