12 Composition of the Yellow Lupine, 



the land was very dry at the time of planting, and the weather 

 was very cold and dry for some time afterwards. 



In the first six weeks after the plants appeared they made very 

 little progress ; at the end of that time their growth became asto- 

 nishingly rapid ; and by the first week of August they were just 

 beginning to bloom, and the piece had a most luxuriant appear- 

 ance. By the middle of August the lupines were so thickly 

 covered with flowers as to appear almost a mass of yellow, and 

 they continued in this state until the time of weighing, Sept. 

 24th. 



I cannot give you much information on the feeding properties 

 of green lupines. Having had a wish to save as many as I could 

 for seed, with a view of testing the feeding properties of the dry 

 seed and the yield per acre, and also to obtain seed for next 

 season, I did not consume much in a green state at the time they 

 were in the best state for feeding. 



I had some ewes penned on a portion of the crop for a few 

 nights, giving them a fresh piece every night; and they made 

 good work, eating all but the main stem, which at this time (first 

 week in September) was rather hard. At this time there was a 

 show of abundance of seed, but the season was too wet and cold 

 to ripen it. When I had given up all hope of obtaining seed, I 

 again put the sheep on the lupines (this was early in November), 

 and they cleared off all the leaves and soft branches, leaving only 

 the woody stems. Four yearling heifers in a bare pasture-field 

 have been supplied with a quantity every morning during the last 

 three weeks. They come to this as they would to hay or turnips, 

 and clear up all but the main stem. These heifers have im- 

 proved since they have had the lupines, which they received 

 instead of hay, the pasture not being sufficient to keep them up 

 in condition. Pigs refuse the lupines. 



With regard to the cultivation of this crop, it appears to 

 require no more care than is usually bestowed on peas or beans. 

 Indeed, in this case not more than ordinary care was bestowed 

 upon them. Probably deep cultivation would favour their 

 growth. Thirteen inches is a good width for the drills when the 

 crop is intended for green food ; but when intended for the 

 growth of seed, 20 inches is not too wide, and the plants should 

 stand singly in the drills. Perhaps dibbling might be better than 

 drilling. 



Before giving you the results of the weighings of green 

 lupines, I must mention that, as the experiment was intended to 

 show the produce of seed as well as of green food, a part of the 

 field was selected where the plants stood wider apart and the 

 crop was not so large as on the greater portion of the field, but 



