MISCELLANEOUS HERBS USED AS FORAGE 579 



plant, and since that time has been used in England and 

 France. It is a deep-rooted perennial that withstands 

 heavy pasturing, and in England continues to grow during 

 most of the winter. For these reasons it is commonly 

 used in pasture mixtures, especially on poor, dry hills 

 where the soil is calcareous. 



On good land, plants will grow 2 feet high, and under 

 such conditions yield as much as 6 tons of green matter 

 to the acre. Burnet is, however, not well adapted to such 

 use. 



In America burnet has not yet been found sufficiently 

 valuable to justify cultivation. It has been tested at 

 many experiment stations, but mostly in small plots 

 and not as a pasture plant. From the fact that it 

 has become spontaneous in New England, it may be 

 worthy of more attention as a pasture plant for that 

 region. 



At the Utah Experiment Station a small plot yielded 

 hay at the rate of 1567 pounds to the acre. 



694. Buckhorn (Plantago lanceolata) , or narrow-leaved 

 plantain, is a native of Europe, but has become a common 

 weed nearly everywhere in America, having been intro- 

 duced as an impurity in grass and clover seeds. It is a 

 long-lived perennial which maintains itself firmly on any 

 soil so long as it is well drained. On this account buckhorn 

 has been used more or less in Europe in pasture mixtures 

 for poor hill lands, and to some extent has also been 

 included in hay mixtures. In America it is commonly 

 looked upon as a troublesome weed, especially in alfalfa 

 and red clover. The herbage, however, is readily grazed 

 upon by sheep and cattle and eaten when cured into hay. 

 As a pasture plant it is apparently deserving of more con- 

 sideration than it has received, especially for thin, stony 



