PASTURES AND PASTURE PLANTS 



CHAP. 



complete covering for the ground ; flowering in June and July. This early 

 and most valuable fodder plant attains to full maturity the second or third 

 season, according as the soil is rich or poor ; and endures from three to 

 twenty years, though the former period is seldom exceeded if the conditions 

 are unfavourable. Its long tap-root penetrates to a remarkable depth, en- 

 abling it to resist intense and long-continued drought, while it withstands cold 

 almost equally well. Excessive wet is, however, injurious to the crop. 

 Lucerne requires a clean, friable surface soil, a deep and permeable subsoil, 

 and an abundant supply of lime. Hence it thrives best on warm calcareous 

 loams and sandy marls, which have been deeply broken up ; but it also 



Lucerne. 

 {liledicago sativaJ) 



flourishes on soils that are too dry for most clovers. The fodder is reHshed 

 by all stock, and is more nutritive than medium quality Red clover, being 

 specially rich in albumin. From 3 to 5 equally productive cuttings may be 

 taken a year, the first of which is ready about 2 or 3 weeks before Red clover. 

 The plant is injured by depasturing ; and the stems grow hard about flowering- 

 time, so that the produce should be cut before this period. As the herbage 

 does not dry well, and the leaves very easily break off, the fodder is better 

 used green than made into hay. On account of the great proportion of 

 water it contains, young Lucerne is liable to cause flatulence in stock 

 if fed too freely. Stebler says that land under Lucerne should be broken 

 up in from 5 to 7 years, because the yield diminishes after that time ; and 



