SAINFOIN. 341 



Operation is not in all cases efFedllve against that destruc- 

 tive animal. 



At Holkham there is much gravel, in some places to the 

 depth of above twelve feet, the surface a thin covering 

 of sand ; no chalk or marie beneath, at any known depth. 

 I was solicitous to ascertain whether this soil would do for 

 sainfoin: Mr. Coke assured me that it succeeded very 

 well on it ; but it is to be remembered that the whole 

 country has been marled. 



Mr. Overman and Mr. Coke drill sainfoin before 

 drilling barley, in the contrary direction to that in which 

 the barley is to be drilled, the rows at six inches and three 

 cjuarters. Seed three bushels an acre, and perfeftly regu- 

 lar; much more so than the generality of broad-cast crops. 



Mr. Pitt's father and grand-father both tried sainfoin 

 upon very deep and dry gravels ; there are some pits 15 or 

 20 feet deep ; but it did not answer. 



It is much approved about Binham : Mr. England, 

 in breaking it up, would summer-fallow for wheat, as 

 after laying so long the land is generally foul. 



Mr. H. Blythe, of Burnham, has a very fine plant 

 three vears old, from drilling, tliree bushels of seed per 

 acre, at six inches three-quarter rows ; it is common to 

 sow from four to five. Tiiis field before produced little or 

 nothing, and was over-run by rabbits and game. He gave 

 a clean summer-fallow for drilled oats, and drilled the sain- 

 foin across the oats. 



Mr. RisHTON, at Thornham, broke up sainfoin 11 

 years old by a bastard summer-tallow for oats ; the wyer- 

 worm ate up the crop : he then laid on 10 loads an acre of 

 dung, and sowed turnips, which came to nothing (eaten 

 also I suppose by the worm) ; then barley, and got 15 

 coombs an acre ; then pease, 10 coombs an acre j and this 

 year (1802) a great crop of wheat. 



z 3 Mr. 



