400 



SAINFOIX. 



[JUNE. 



better for it ; but he has not attended to it in the 

 seeds, because hard stocked with sheep. He has 

 burnt on the land for turnips, the long straw dung 

 from the surface of the farm-yard, and he had 

 better turnips there than where the dung was laid. 

 This has been the case in two experiments he has 

 made. 



A general practice through the mountains of Gas- 

 cony, and almost toBayonne, is that of manuring for 

 raves, a sort of turnip, .with the ashes of burnt straw. 

 I observed several fields quite black ; and demand- 

 ing what it was, my guide told me of this com- 

 mon practice here : afterwards I saw them strewing 

 straw thickly over land, part of which had been 

 already burnt on. They do this on a wheat-stubble ; 

 but not thinking that stubble enough is left, they 

 add much wheat-straw, and setting fire to it, burn 

 the weeds as well as the straw, and clean as well as 

 manure the land. With such quantities of fern 

 on all their extensive wastes, 1 asked why they did 

 not burn that, and keep their straw ? The reply 

 was, that fern makes much better dung than straw, 

 so they burn the straw in preference. As soon as 

 the operation is over, they plough the land, and 

 harrow in rave-seed. One large field, thus treated, 

 I saw ploughing for that crop. They both hoe 

 and hand-weed the raves, and have them some- 

 times very large ; many as big as a man's head. 

 Use them for oxen. 



SAINFOIN. 



When the plants of sainfoin are thin on the 



ground, 





