^ 28 ^ MINUTES OF 



> 



On Artificial Grasses. 



Root subligneous; stems rather upright, two feet high, branched, angular- 

 cylindric, smooth leaves alternate, footstalked, ternate, with w.edge-oblong leaf- 

 lets serrated at the tip, slightly mucronated, and hairy beneath. Stipules semi- 

 ovate, long-pointed, nervose, rarely subdentated. Racemes footstalked, axillary, 

 many-flowered, upright. Flowers footstalked, Avith a solitary setaceous bracte at 

 the base of the footstalk, violaceous. Calyx hairy, with subulate teeth. Legume 

 spiral, with two, three, or more distant spires, many-seeded, smooth. 



This plant was discovered in Media, by Darius, during his persian expedi- 

 tion ; from whence it derived its name medica. It is the most productive, and 

 comes into use sooner than any other of the artificial grasses. Horses, beasts, 

 sheep, and pigs are very fond of it when, it is mown and given them green, 

 which is the most useful application of it. 



It thrives best on rich, dry, loamy soils, which should be made deep, fine, 

 and clean of weeds by culture. About the middle of April, ten pounds of seed 

 should be drilled on an acre, in rows of eighteen inches asunder, and one inch 

 deep, with a row of common red clover between each, then bush harrowed and 

 rolled. Nothing more is necessary to be done till weeds appear, when it should be 

 hand-hoed well, and the weeds in the rows pulled out by the hand. As soon as 

 more weeds appear, it must be hand-hoed and hand-weeded a second time, and 

 even a third time if necessary, when this is done great care should be taken not to 

 tread upon the young lucerne. 



As soon as it begins to blossom, it should be mown, carried off, and given 

 to the stock green. By this mode of application it will keep more stock than any 

 of the other grasses. 



It requires three years in coming to perfection; hence the propriety of sow- 

 ing common red clover along with it. After that time it may be mown three, 

 four, or five times in a season. 



Between every mowing, it should be well hand-hoed, and made quite clean 

 of weeds. 



