BOTANICAL CHARACTERS OF 



245 



specifies silicious soils, and states that his trials of it on 

 calcareous soils were unsuccessful. Speaking of it, he 



COMMON LENTIL Ervum lens. 



says, " I have had an opportunity of witnessing the ex- 

 treme utility of this plant for worthless sands, having 

 both used it myself and seen it cultivated on a great scale 

 by one of my neighbours, M. Vallentin de Cullion. The 

 quantity of green food which he has obtained off this and 

 the winter gray pea from land believed to be incapable 



