TUBEROUS ROOTS, AND GRAIN. 339 



branch of commerce they were compelled to abandon : 

 England continued to be equally well provided with clo- 

 ver seed ; and it was Buonaparte's own subjects who 

 alone suffered by his absurd prohibition. 



Saintfoin, or Esparcette, is another artificial grass of 

 th,^- leguminous family, of longer duration than clover. 

 The seed appears larger than it really is, because it is 

 sown with the husk or pericarp, and no less than twenty 

 pounds of seed is required per acre ; whilst ten or twelve 

 pounds of clover seed, which is sown without the husk, 

 is sufficient. 



Lucerne, also of the leguminous family, lasts from twen- 

 ty to thirty years, according- as the soil is more or less 

 favorable to it. 



Emily. It is then too long lived to enter into a course 

 of cropping ? 



Mrs. B. In some parts of the valley of the Rhine, 

 these courses are made of thirty years' duration, twenty 

 of which is occupied by lucerne. The roots of this plant 

 strike twelve or eighteen feet into the soil ; a depth at 

 which moisture is always found, so that lucerne is enabled 

 to resist drought much better than clover, whose roots are 

 more superficial. Yet, if the season be dry, there is some 

 danger of its failing the first year of its growth, the roots 

 not having reached a depth of soil which is always moist. 

 The seed for sowing should be chosen of a bright yellow 

 color, and heavy ; a caution necessary to be attended to, 

 in the choice of all seeds. Lucerne is mowed from three 

 or four, to seven or eight times in the year, according to 

 the climate in which it grows. Its herbage is less deli- 

 cate than that of saintfoin. 



Caroline. Have we not seen lucerne growing as a 

 shrub in some parts of Italy ? 



Mrs. B. This is of a different species ; it is naturally 

 a shrub, and grows wild on the sea-coast in Italy, where 

 it is used as fodder for cattle. Furze may also be culti- 

 vated, either as a shrub or as artificial grass. In the lat- 

 ter state, it should be mown very young, while still soft 

 and tender ; after growing three years it is rooted up, but 

 it prepares the soil admirably for grain. 



1832. What is said of Saintfoin'? 1833. How lon<r does Lucerne 

 last, and what else is said of id 1834. In the valley of the Rhine, 

 what is said of its growth, the length of roots, &c.7 1835. When is 

 there danger of its suffering from drought! 1836. How frequently is 

 it mowed 1 1837. What is said of it as a shrub in Italy and of the 

 culture of furze 7 



