Chap. XII. Of St. Foin. r 7 r 



that grows amongft it •, their very Feet would injure 

 it, by treading the Ground hard, as well as their 

 Mouths by cropping it; Nor let any Sheep come at i 

 it, even in the following Summer and Winter. 



One Acre of well-drilPd St. Foin, confidering the 

 different Goodnels of the Crops, and the Duration of 

 it, is generally worth Two Acres of fown St. Foin on 

 the fame Land, tho' the Expence of drilling be 

 Twenty Times iefs than the Expence of fowing it. 



One of the Caufes why St. Foin, that is properly 

 drill'd, lafteth longer (b) without Manure than the 

 fown, is, That the former neither over nor under- 

 ftocks the Pafture; and the latter commonly, if not 

 always, doth one or the other, if not both; viz. 

 Plants too thick in fome Places, and too thin in 

 others; either 'tis not fmgle, but in Bunches ; or if 

 it be fingle, 'tis too thin; it being next to impoflible 

 to have the Plants come true and regular, or nearly 

 fo, by fowing at random. Plants too thick foon exhaull 

 the Failure they reach, which never is more than a 

 (mall Part of that below the Staple : When the Plants 

 are too thin, the St. Foin cannot be faid to laft at all, 

 beeaufe it never is a Crop, 



They whoyW Eight or Ten Bufhels of good Seed 

 on an Acre, in a good Seafon, among their Corn, 

 with Intent that by itsThicknefs it mould kill other 

 Grafs, reduce their St. Foin almoft. to that poor Con- 

 dition I have feen it in, where it grows naturally 



Ufe, here are nqw few or no Buyers of Hay, efpecially thefe 

 open Winters ; lb that laying out Money in that Manner would 

 be in Effect to buy what I cannot fell. I think it better to let a 

 little more Land lie ftill in St. Foin, than to be at the Expence of 

 Manure ; but yet fhall not neglect to ufe it, when I mall find it 

 likely to be profitable to me. 



(h) I have now a great many fingle St, Foin Plants in my 

 Fields, that are near Thirty Years of Age, and yet Teem asyoiing 

 and vigorous as ever ; and yet it is common for thick St. Foin to 

 wear out in Nine or Ten Years, and in poor Land much fooner, 

 jf not often manured by Soot, Peat-Ajh, or Coal-JJh, 



wild 



