AND OTHER FORAGE PLANTS. 3 



It may succeed well, sown broadcast on well cultivated lands 

 free from seeds of grasses and weeds. In this case full twenty 

 pounds of seed per acre should be used so as to cover the ground 

 early and thus suppress weeds. It may afford good mowings 

 the first year ; and these mowings prevent maturing of seeds 

 of noxious weeds. 



Every owner of a horse or milk cow should have at least one 

 acre of lucerne. These animals, sheep, swine and poultry rec- 

 ognize the value of lucerne at the first glance. 



2. M. LUPULINA is naturalized with us, but is of too little 

 value to require special notice. It is the Nonesuch, or Black 

 Medick. 



3. M. MACULATA, spotted Medick, is a valuable plant. It was 

 brought from Chili to California, and thence to the States under 

 the names of California Clover, Yellow Clover and Burr Clover. 

 Many mistook it for lucerne and still so call it. This has only 

 two or three ydlow blossoms in each cluster, while lucerne has 

 many blue blossoms in an elongated head. From the melilots 

 and clovers proper, the medicks are readily distinguished by the 

 pods or legumes being spirally twisted or coiled. That of M. 

 saliva is loosely coiled about twice so as to somewhat resemble a 

 rams horn. That of the M. malculala is very compactly coiled, 

 so as to present the appearance of a solid oblate spheroid, thick- 

 ly covered with curved prickles. But seize the prickles at the 

 poles and draw gently ; the spheroidal burr is changed to a spiral 

 flat legume with two rows of hooked prickles on its thicker edge. 



I have grown this plant about thirty-five years. It furnishes 

 good grazing from February till April or May ; a small lot ot 

 ground feeding a large number of cattle, sheep, etc. Many 

 think it the best thing possible for grazing and hay. It is the 

 opinion of some, that animals naturally prefer it to other green 

 plants. This does not accord with my experience. They do 

 not incline to eat it at first ; but it is easy to teach them, and they 

 acquire a great fondness for it. But all the grass eating animals 

 including geese, etc., know and eat lucerne greedily at first sight. 

 Horses that refuse the spotted Medick when green, eat it readi- 

 ly when wilted or dried. The last lot I sowed was in 1859 or 

 1860. Every year, many persons passing the public roads near 

 this lot stop and admire the luxuriant growth. For a number 

 of years my live stock had free access to it from December to 

 March, or later, with much profit. On removing them it shot 

 up and spread out rapidly in April and May, in the latter month 

 maturing an immense quantity of seed and then dicing. In June 

 the crab grass (panicum sanguinale) sprang up and in August, 

 this grass while in bloom was mowed. In October, I had a sec- 

 ond lighter mowing. In a few weeks, the medick would be up 

 and in full possession of the ground till next June. I never 



