Chap. XIII. O/L-userne. 207 



and thefe have been Six or Seven Inches high by the 

 Middle of March. 



And it muft be likewife obferv'd, that the Crop 

 will be produc'd in Proportion to the Nourifhmenc 

 it receives; for if the moil gigantic Luferne plant, 

 which, when pamper'd by the Hoe, has made a. 

 Produce more like a Tree than an Herb, remains a 

 few Years without that or fome equivalent Culture, 

 it will by little and little ceafe to produce more than 

 a few poor fickly Stalks, juft to (hew its Species-, and 

 then, if this Culture be repeated, will recover its pri- 

 ftine Strength, and yield as great a Crop as ever; 

 but, if that be longer omitted, will die: TheVaftnefs 

 of its Root avails nothing, unlefs it has Food in pro- 

 portion to it. 



Hence it appears, that the mo ft fatal Difeafe in- 

 cident to Luferne is ftarving, and that rarely fuffers 

 any of its Plants to arrive at the full Period of their 

 Growth or Age-, it prevents their Fertility even in 

 the Prime of their Youth, and kills them before 

 they have liv'd out Half, or perhaps the Tenth Part, 

 of their Days. How long its Life might otherwife be, 

 nobody knows, unlefs a Plant could be found to 

 die when well fed; for when it is, 'tis fo tenacious 

 of Life, that, I am told, beheading will not difpatch 

 it (a). 



!Tis therefore necefTary, that our Rows be plac'd 

 at fuch a Diftance, as that their Intervals may be wide 

 enough for the Hoe-plough to raife an artificial 

 Pafture, fufricient to fuftain the Number of Plants in 

 them. 



. Whoever mail make Trials of this Husbandry 

 (for that is all I propofe to others), I would advife 

 them to begin with Rows that have Intervals of 

 Thirty- three Inches; for, if they begin with much 



(a) But I have cut off the Heads of fome myfelf to try, and 

 could not find that any one would fprout again, tho 1 St. Fain will j 

 perhaps I tried at the wrong Seafon. 



narrower 



