HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. [51 



limestone, or chalk. It grows naturally on the Wever-hills, in the 

 Moorlands, and in Dove-dale, will stand the winter frosts, and be 

 ready for pasture early in spring. It will also bear the greatest 

 drought of the dryest soils, by striking a long tap-root deep into the 

 earth ; but it is best adapted for dry calcareous soils. 



Lucern (medicago saliva}, is very productive, equally so with 

 the best vetches or clover, and is perennial and durable, but requires 

 cleaning and nursing for the two or three first years ; it will bear 

 transplanting * from a seed bed, which is perhaps the best way of 

 cultivating it : or it may be drilled between rows of barley on very 

 clean land, and might be hoed in autumn and spring, when the 

 barley-crop is cleared, after which it would maintain itself and last 

 many years, and might be cut two or three times each year, being 

 at times manured. 



Saintfoin (hedysarum onobryckis), is an excellent perennial plant 

 for hay or pasture, equally productive with clover, and may be 

 mown annually for many years. It succeeds best on calcareous 

 soils, with a substratum of chalk, having fissures which the roots 

 can strike through. It will not thrive on thin soils having a hard 

 gravel or clay bottom near the surface, but is quite worthy of 

 culture on loose bottoms, and succeeds well on poor land, having 

 that quality, if in clean culture. It should be sown three or four 

 bushels per acre, with oats or barley, and care should be taken to 

 sow only new seed, as the old seed will not vegetate. It is grown 

 plentifully upon the Gates wold-hills, Gloucestershire, and the 

 Chalk hills of the southern counties. 



Many other of our native plants seem well worthy of cultivation, 

 particularly the perennial vetches so common in our meadows; with 

 cichory, which has been highly-recommended by Arthur Young, 

 Esq. as food for sheep and cattle. The yellow goatVbeard, be- 

 fore-named, seems equally worthy of attention ; the common sow- 

 thistle is also very productive, and well eaten by cattle ; also com- 

 frey, (symphylum officinale), and lettuce, (lactuca), might.be culti- 

 vated for hog-food: the garden-beet is also extremely productive 

 and durable, as well as early in spring. 



Hay Harvest, in this county, is mostly in July. Upon regular 

 farms the artificial grasses, clover, and ray-grass, are generally cut 

 first, and the meadow-grasses follow : on the highly-forced lands 

 near large towns, the meadow-grass is somewhat earlier than in 



* See Harte'g Essay on Transplanted Lucern. 



