SOILING. 189 



cows had a small bare pasture lot to run on a portion of the 

 day. The cows yielded well in milk. We did not consider 

 the pasture of much account. 



ORCHARD GRASS (Dactylis glomerata) is an excellent 

 soiling grass, and should be grown with clover, as they are 

 both ready to cut at the same time. They both commence 

 a fresh growth immediately after cutting. This grass 

 attracted the favorable attention of Washington. He 

 says: " Orchard grass, of all others, is, in my opinion, the 

 best mixture with clover; it blooms precisely at the same 

 time, rises quickly again after cutting) stands thick, yields 

 well, and both cattle and horses are fond of it, green or in 

 hay." This is a good description of its excellences, 

 although in order to " stand thick " the soil must be made 

 very fine and a large amount of seed sown. We have seen 

 it growing luxuriantly on a heavy clay loam. With proper 

 attention and manuring it may be cut at least three times 

 in a season. 



LUCERNE (Medicago sativa). This plant also has, where 

 the soil is adapted to it, a peculiar value for soiling. It 

 belongs to the class of leguminous plants, and, like clover, 

 takes a very deep root, penetrating even deeper than clover, 

 the roots having been traced as much as thirteen feet beside 

 a pit. Its nutritive qualities are about equal to clover, and 

 it produces, in favorable situations, a much greater weight 

 per acre. On rich, warm land it gives an early cutting, and 

 four or five in a season. It is, perhaps, one of the oldest 

 cultivated forage plants was in common use among the 

 Greeks and Eomans. It was cultivated in New York 

 nearly a century ago. Chancellor Livingston experimented 

 with it in 1791, and reports some three years of his trial. 

 He obtained over six tons of hay in five cuttings. The 

 soil best adapted to it is a deep, rich loam, inclining to 

 sandy, with a porous subsoil, or a well-drained clay loam. 

 It is very sensitive to the interference of weeds, and, in 



