FARMERS' REGISTER— LUCERNE. 



231 



It grew well, notwithstanding tlie drought. The 

 latter end of August, perceiving that some of the 

 rye was pushing up seed stalks, and that some 

 weeds were overtopping the grass, I mowed it, and 

 fed it green to my cattle. In 1825, I cut three 

 tolerable crops, and soiled it to my cows. In 1826, 

 I cut it four times for green fodder, and in the au- 

 tumn gave the field a slight top-dressing of rotten 

 dung. This year my stock has consisted of six 

 cows and four oxen. My summer pasture would 

 not more than suffice for two of them. I fed them 

 on ruta baga and hay till about the 20th May, 

 when I commenced cutting, an 1 feeding my Lu- 

 cerne, morning and evening, in such quantities as 

 I found my cattle would consume. By the time I 

 had cut over tiie acre, the part first mown was 

 again fit for the scythe. Two cuttings, with the 

 small pasture in which the cattle run, sufficed till 

 my meadows and grain fields were fit to turn into. 

 A third crop was cut for hay, and a fourth might 

 have been cut also, but for the difficulty of curing it. 

 This is the field which you saw when at my house. 



From my own experience, as well as from the 

 observations of others who have cultivated this 

 grass, I am satisfied, that an acre of good Lucerne 

 will feed six cows five months, from the 20th or 

 25th May to the 25th October. This, to a person 

 located as 1 am, upon a small farm, where land is 

 high, would be worth §45, or ^1.50 per month 

 for each beast. 



Lucerne is less affected by drought than any 

 grass I am acquainted with; and but few grasses 

 abide longer than it does in the soil. It does not 

 attain its full strength until the third year, and its 

 medium duration is ten or twelve years. 



I will further remark, for the guidance of those 

 who may undertake to cultivate Lucerne, and are 

 unacquainted with its character and habits, that 



It requires a rich, deep, clean, light and dry 

 soil. It will neither do well upon clays nor wet 

 grounds. 



It should be sown only in spring, when the 

 ground has acquired warmth sufficient to promote 

 a quick and vigorous growth. 



It should be mown lor soiling as soon as the blos- 

 soms appear ; and be permitted to wilt a few hours 

 in the swath before it is fed to neat cattle ; and 

 lastly, like all other crops. 



It is benefitted by an occasional dressing of ma- 

 nure. I think the best way is to apply compost 

 or short dung in autumn, and harrow with a light 

 harrow in the spring. 



When cut for hay, there is a difficulty in curing 

 Lucerne without great loss, as the leaves dry and 

 crumble before the stem is cured. It should be 

 managed like clover — lay a few hours in swath, 

 and then be put into small slender cocks with a 

 fork. It will cure in two good days. I mixed 

 my autumn crop, in the barn, Avith alternate lay- 

 ers of straw. 



Respectfully, your obedient servant, 



J. BUEL. 



Isaac M. Ely, Esq. 



Calendar, (near Yonker^s,) Westchester ? 



County, Dec. 3lst, 1827. 5 



Dear Sir, — Your favor of the 26th instant, 



together with an accompanying copy of " the 



Statesman" you were so obliging as to send me, 1 



received by this morning's mail. 



I have attentively perused the statement of 



Judge Buel, in his letter to you on the subject of 

 Lucerne, and am pleased to find that his experi- 

 ence, in its culture, so fully accords with my own. 

 The first experiment I made with this grass was 

 in the summer of 1821 ; but the seed did not vege- 

 tate, owing, doubtless, to their being unsound, 

 rather than to any peculiarity of management ; 

 for, when good, they appear to germinate as freely 

 as those of red clover. Not being discouraged by 

 my first essay, I prepared the ibllowing year, the 

 same piece of ground for the reception of fresh 

 seed. This was sown, broadcast, in the early 

 part of July, 1822, without a protecting cover. — 

 The plants soon made their appearance, notwith- 

 standing a period of dry weather which succeed- 

 ed, and continued to grow finely, till checked by 

 the frost. As the crop was neither cut nor depas- 

 tured, a large burden was left on the ground ; and 

 in the ensuing spring, before other grasses had yet 

 started, the Lucerne exhibited a flourishing grow th. 

 Without entering into any further details respect- 

 ing this crop, it will be sufficient to say, that it 

 completely justified, in all respects, the encomiums 

 I had read upon its value. It may be well, how- 

 ever, to remark that, in accordance with the di- 

 rections of some writers on the subject, I had the 

 ground harrowed, for the alleged purpose of extir- 

 pating weeds and promoting its vigor. This was 

 done in the third year of its growth, and by these 

 means more than half of the roots were destroyed. 

 The remainder, however, continued to grow well 

 for a year after ; but as the crop did not exhibit 

 the flourishing appearance as before, I determined 

 upon breaking up the ground. 



In the beginning of May, 1823, I had about two 

 acres sown with Lucerne. The ground was divi- 

 ded into tliree pieces, and each piece was, along 

 with the Lucerne, sown with a different grain crop. 

 These consisted of barley, buckwheat and winter 

 rye. The result of the experiment was as follows, 

 viz : that sown with the rye proved the best, and 

 that with the barley ranked next in quality; but 

 what accompanied the buckwheat was entirely 

 smothered. The Lucerne growing on the two 

 former pieces, being now in the fourth year of its 

 growth, is in a most vigorous state ; and so far 

 from evincing any symptoms of decline, continued 

 to grow, the last season, more luxuriantly than 

 ever. I commenced cutting it last spring, on the 

 27th of April. It then yielded, I should judge, at 

 the rate of' a ton and a half to the acre, on tlie sup- 

 position that the grass had been cured into hay. 

 it was cut for the purpose of soiling, and given to 

 horses in the stable and to working oxen. The 

 produce amounted, during the season, to six cut- 

 tings. In this experiment, the quantity of seed 

 used was at the rate of 20 lbs. to the acre. It 

 was cultivated on a soil similar to that described 

 by Judge Buel, as indispensable to its success. 



It is unnecessary here to recapitulate all that has 

 been said and written in favor of this plant. I 

 would remark, however, that the great advan- 

 tages which have been alleged in its favor, are 

 fully borne out by my own experience. It may, 

 further, be well to observe, that, in referring to 

 the remarks of Judge Buel, there was no difficul- 

 ty whatever in its being made into hay, when 

 managed in the mode he describes. And it seems 

 to me a matter of some importance to bear in mind 

 that, although the virtues of Lucerne have been 

 most largely descanted upon by British writers^ 



