74 



Lathyrus pratensis. Yellow Vetchling, Tare Everlasting. 



ifi 



(L 



Native of Britain. Root creeping. Perennial. E. Bot. 670 ; Fl. Dan. 52? ; Wither. Arr. 



+ 



V. ii. p. 619; Anderson's Essays. 

 Experiments, — At the time of flowering, the produce from a clayey loam, is. 



\ 



dr. qr. 



oz. 



Herbage, 36 oz. The produce per acre 



t 



80 dr. of herbage weigh, when dry 



The produce of the space, ditto 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 



64 dr. of herbage afford of nutritive matter 



The produce of the space, ditto 



392040 



40 

 288 



196020 



2 1 

 20 1 



13782 10 



lbs. 



24502 8 



12251 4 



12251 4 



861 6 10 



The merits of this vetchling, in point of produce and nutrient qualilies, appear by the fol- 

 lowing comparison, to be much inferior to those of the Red or Broad-leaved cultivated Clover : 



Trifolimn pratensCy 

 Broad-leaved cultivated Clover, 



Green food 



affords per acre < Hay 



Nutritive matter 



lbs. 



49005 

 12251 



1914 



The Red Clover, therefore, exceeds in value that of the Yellow Vetchling, in the proportion 

 nearly of 7 to 3; The weight of hay afforded by the Yellow Vetchling, is equal to that 

 afforded by the Red Clover, which arises from the greater quantity of superfluous moisture 

 contained in the latter, and the greater proportion of woody fibre in the produce of the former: 

 hence one pound of the hay of Red Clover contains 40 dr. of nutritive matter, while an equal 

 weight of the Yellow Vetchling hay contains only 17 dr. 2 grains. 



This vetchling is not unfrequent in good pastures and in rich meadows : it delights ia mois- 

 ture, and it attained to the greatest perfection in a tenacious clayey soil. It is a late-springing' 

 plant, and the shoots come up thinly, but attain to a great length. It appears to be eaten 

 by oxen, cows, and sheep, but with less relish than they seem to have for the Vicia sepium, 

 (creeping vetch), or the Red and White Clovers. The nutritive matter it affords contains a 

 much greater proportion of insoluble and bitter extractive matters than the plants now men- 

 tioned. It affords little or no sugar. One hundred parts of the nutritive matter submitted to the 



1 



action of cold and boiling water, and alcohol, separately, afforded me : 



Mucilage - _ _ 



Bitter extractive and saline matters 

 Saccharine matter ^ * 



Insoluble matter ^ r 



"m 



37 

 31 



30 



100 



Javy has shewn, that Red Clover contains in every 



Mucilage, or starch - - . 



.Saccharine matter, or sugar ^ - - « 



Gluten, or albumen - - ^ 



Extract, or insolubl e matter - 



791 

 7§ 

 6 



8 



100 



-^ 



