220 CULTIVATION OF GRASSES. 



lancls,and to the alternate system of husbandry; and that its 

 growth is wonderfully accelerated by gypsum — we shall 

 not be surprised at the saying of the Flemings, that 

 " without clover, no man in Flanders would pretend to call 

 himself a farmer ;" nor shall we be surprised at the uniform 

 success which has attended its culture in the United States. 



Lucerne — Medicago sativa^ L. 



Lucerne is a deep-rooted perennial plant, sending up 

 numerous small and clover-like shoots, with blue or vio- 

 let spikes of flowers. It is a native of the south of Eu- 

 rope, is extensively cultivated in the south of Spain, Italy, 

 France, Persia, and Lima, in the two latter being cut 

 all the year round, — and is partially cultivated in Great 

 Britain and the United States. With us it is often called 

 French clover, and is found to be as hardy as red clover. 

 It was extensively cultivated by the Romans, and com- 

 mended by Columella, as the choicest of all fodder. 

 Three quarters of an acre of it, he thought abundantly suf- 

 ficient to feed three horses during the whole year. 



The soil for lucerne must be dry, friable, inchning to 

 sand, and with a subsoil not inferior to the surface. Un- 

 less the subsoil be good, deep, and dry, it is in vain to 

 attempt to cultivate lucerne. A friable, deep, sandy 

 loam is excellent for it. No land is too rich for it. 



The preparation of the soil consists in deep ploughing 

 and minute pulverization. Loudon recommends trenching 

 for it. But a good preparation is a potato crop, heavily 

 dressed with long manure, the ground ploughed very deep, 

 and the manure buried at the bottom of the furrow, and 

 the crop kept perfectly free from w^eeds. 



The season most proper for sowing in the northern and 

 eastern States is about the 1st to the 15th of May, when 

 the ground has become sufficiently warmed to promote 

 quick germination. 



The manner of sowing lucerne is either broadcast or 

 in drills, and either with or without an accompanying crop. 

 Broadcast, with a very thin cast of winter rye, is most 

 generally preferred in the United States ; though drills, 

 by enabling the cultivator to keep out grasses and weeds, 



