162 THE SAINFOIN CROP. 



spring is usually fed off by sheep ; the field is then shut 

 up about the end of April, and about the latter part of 

 July the seed is fully matured and ready for harvest. The 

 proper time for cutting requires a little consideration, as 

 not only the flower-heads are formed and ripen unequally, 

 but the seeds in the individual spikes also come to maturity 

 unequally, the lower seeds, which are the plumpest and best, 

 being always some days in advance of those upon the upper 

 part of the spike. As soon, therefore, as these lower ones 

 are fully ripe, the crop should be cut, and the remaining 

 portion allowed to mature on the stems, which they will 

 do, more or less perfectly, according to the condition they 

 were in at the time -of cutting. In order to prevent the 

 matured seed from being shaken out in the operation of 

 harvesting, it is always best to cut the crop either early 

 in the morning or late in the after part of the day, so that 

 the stems may be moist and less liable to break off than 

 during the heat of the mid-day. The swathes should be 

 disturbed as little as possible on the field, but as it is 

 essential that the crop should be quite dry before it is 

 stacked, the swathes should be gathered up into large 

 heaps or cocks, and left a day or two in this shape before 

 being carted off the field. From 2 to 3 quarters per acre 

 are generally considered an average crop, and the stems may 

 be carried with advantage to the feeding yard, for the stock 

 to pick over and consume. 



Undoubtedly the most economical way of consuming 

 sainfoin would be to cut it green, in the same manner as 

 lucerne, and carry it to the feeding sheds or stables for the 

 cattle. In such case, if kept well manured every winter, 

 it would probably yield three or four cuttings in the course 

 of the season, and give a far larger produce than when 

 treated in the ordinary way. 



The diseases incidental to the crop have not received 

 any special attention ; those affecting clover and the other 



