'He7nerocdllisfulva, as a Forage Plant. 441 



about the 20th of August to the 1st of September, in a good 

 soil, and planted out, from November to January and Februaiy, 

 in succession, at from 20 to 30 in. distance, in a good, sub- 

 stantial, well-manured soil ; as no plant is more exhausting or 

 I'equires a better soil, but, perhaps, no one plant produces so 

 large a quantity of nutriment during its period of vegetation. 

 About the month of Api'il they begin (from the first crop) to 

 strip the under leaves, cut them in small pieces, mix them with 

 sour milk, bran, and other farinaceous substances, and give them 

 as food to ducks, geese, hogs, &c. During the whole summer 

 they continue stripping the plant as above stated, until it attains 

 the height of from 6 to 12 ft. ; and, if a scarcity of herbage 

 prevails, the green leaves form excellent feed for cows and 

 oxen, with alternate feeds of hay and straw. The tops and 

 side shoots are excellent at table during winter and spring. 

 The longest of the stalks are frequently used to support 

 scarlet runners and other French beans, and as cross rafters 

 for farm buildings under thatch, and have been known to last 

 more than half a century, when kept dry, for the latter purpose. 



I am, Sir, &c. 

 Ntirserj/, Island of Jersey, Bernard Saunders. 



April 14. 1829. 



Seeds may be had from Mr. Saunders, or from Mr. Charl- 

 wood, seedsman, Great Russel Street, Covent Garden. — Cond. 



Art. XXVI. On the Day Lily {Hemerocallis ftdva), as a Forage 

 Plant. By Mr. J. Elles. 

 Sir, 



As I shall not have an opportunity of witnessing the result 

 of an experiment, which I have now in progress here, to cul- 

 tivate the copper-coloured day lily (ii/emerocallis fulva) for 

 the use of cattle; a notice of it in your Magazine might in- 

 duce others to make further trials, and perhaps prove it ulti- 

 mately to be a plant of no ordinary utility. 



In the years 1826-7, I observed, accidentally, how 

 extremely fond cattle were of this plant, even mating it 

 down to the roots when an opportunity occurred ; and as 

 I knew, from long experience, that it would, even in dry 

 ground, produce herbage in the middle and latter end of 

 April, equal in quality to any water meadow, the extreme 

 facility with which it may be propagated and grown in almost 

 any soil and situation, and also its apparently nutritious nature, 

 I was induced to give it a trial in a plot of ground of about 

 20 rotls, attached to the cottage in which I live. Accord- 



