LUC 



L u c: 



and Jefuiti' church are the only public buildings worthy of 

 notice; but they are overloaded with rich ornaments, and 

 difgraced by bad paintings. In the cathedral is an organ of 

 fine tone, and extraordinary fize ; the centre pipe is 40 teet 

 long, near three in diameter, and weighs iioo pounds. The 

 bridges which Ikirt the town, round the edge of the lake, 

 are the fafhionable walks of the place, and remarkable for 

 their length ; being covered at the top, and open at the 

 fides, they afford a conllanc view of the delightful and ro- 

 mantic country ; they are decorated with coarfe paintings, 

 reprefenting tlie liiilories of the Old Tedament, the battles 

 of the Swifs, and the dance of Death. In the Waffer- 

 thiirm tower, the Ireafure of the republic is depofited. 

 The nrfenal is well furnilhed with arms. This place is a 

 thoroughfare from Italy by mount St. Gothard ; but it has 

 no manufaftures of confequence, and little commerce. Of 

 late the principles of toleration have been better underllood 

 and more widely diffufed than they were formerly, and a lite- 

 rary fociety has been etlablilhed for the promotion of polite 

 learning. The lake is bounded towards the town of Lncern 

 by cultivated hills floping gradually to the water, contralled 

 on the oppofite fide by an enormous mafs of tarren and 

 craggy rocks. N. lat. 46' 56'. E. long. 8 6'. See the 

 preceding article. 



LucERN, Lake of, called the Waldftaetter fee, or lake of 

 the four cantons, conlills of feveral branches and gulfs, dif- 

 tinguilhed by pai'ticular names, and affording variety of tine 

 fernery. See Lake. 



LuCERX, in Botany. See Meuicago. 

 LucEHN', in /Igriculture, a plant of the artificial grafs 

 kind, chiefly cultivated as a green food for cattle, and which 

 affords a larger produce than mofl other forts in proportion 

 to the extent of land. It is knovvn among botanilts by the 

 name of medicago fati-va, and is the alfafa of the Spaniards, 

 and the grand trefle of the French. It has a perennial root, 

 and an annual ftalk, which rifes full three feet high in good 

 land, and is fiirnifhed at each point with trifoliate leaves, tiie 

 lobes of which are fpear-fliaped, about an inch and a half 

 long, and half an inch broad, fawed towards the (lalks. 

 The flowers grow in fpikes, which are from two to near 

 three inches in length, Handing upon naked footftalks two 

 inches long, rifing from the wings of the ilalks : they are 

 of the pea-bloom, or butterfly kind, of a fine purple colour, 

 and arc fucceeded by coniprclfed moon-fhaped pods, which 

 contain feveral kidney-fhaped feeds. It flowers in June, ajid 

 its feed ripens in September. 



There are feveral varieties of lucern, as thofe with violet- 

 coloured flowers, with yellow flowers, with yellow and 

 violet flowers mixed, and with variegated flowers ; but 

 the editor bf Mr. Miller's Diftionary obferves, that they 

 are only variations of the fame plant, arifing accidentally 

 from the feed. However, neither the yellow nor the varie- 

 gated flowered lucern is ever fo ftrong as that with pur- 

 ple flowers ; and cannot of courfe be fo profitable to the 

 culrivator. 



It may be remarked, that Columella efteemed this plant 

 as the choicell of all fodder, becaufe it lafted many years, 

 and bore being cut down four, five, or fix times a year. 

 In his opinion it enriched the land on which it grew, fat- 

 tened the cattle fed with it, and was often a remedy for fick 

 cattle. About three-quarters of an acre of it is, it is fup- 

 pofed, abundantly fiifiicicnt to feed three horfes during the 

 whole year. But tliough it was fo much efteemed by the 

 ancients, and has been long cultivated to advantage in France 

 and Switzerland^ it has yet found no great reception in this 

 country, though it will fucceed here as well as in either of 

 10 



the above countries, being extremely hardy, and capable of 

 refilling tiie cold of our climate. 



In the Synopfis of Hufh^ndry, it is noticed, that it is 

 not till within thefe thirty years that this gruls has been 

 much in repute with the farmer, though it was known in 

 England long before that time: but the cultivation of it 

 was chiefly confined to gentlemen who raifcd it on their own 

 dcmefncs ; for the hufbandmen, being v^-ell convinced of the 

 extraordinary care required to prepare the land for the 

 growth of i, were deterred from embarking in a bufinefs 

 which feemed to be attended w'itli much expcnce, and con- 

 tented themfelves with raifiug green fodder from their tares 

 and clover, le.iving the cultivation of this ufefnl grafs tg their 

 landlords, who could better fpare the money for that pur- 

 pofe. But now that its virtues are better known, and the 

 method of raifing it more perfeftly underflood, there are 

 few farmers, who do not choofe to fow fome acres of it, to 

 fupply their horfes with a whulefome and laftincr feed 

 tin-onghout the fummer. The feed is of a paler calt than 

 that of clover, and rather larger in fize. It is annually 

 provided from Holland by the feedfmen, and fold at dif- 

 ferent prices, from one to two Ihillings or more per pound, 

 according to circumllances. 



Soil — In refpeft to thcfoils that are moil fuitable to the 

 culture of this plant, they are all thofe of the more deep, 

 rich, and dry kinds, as thofe of the found, meliuw, loamy, 

 and landy delcriptions ; but on fuch as are retentive of 

 moiilure, it fhould not be attempted, as the roots of the 

 plants are liable to be greatly injured, if not wholly de- 

 itroyed, by the ftagnation of water about them. Weepino- 

 gravelly lands, and all fuch as are not well drained, are of 

 courfe improper for this fort of culture. Mr. Young fug- 

 gelts, that " the foils that fuit lucern, are all thofe that are 

 at once dry and rich. If they poffcls thefe two criteria, 

 there is no fear but they will produce large crops of lucern. 

 A friable deep fandy loam or chalk, or wfrite dry marly bot- 

 tom, is excellent for it. Deep putrid fands, warp on a drv 

 bafis, good fandy loam on chalk, dry marie or gravel, all do 

 well : and, in a word, all foils that are good enough for 

 wheat, and dry enough for turnips to be fed on the landj do 

 well for lucern. If deficient in fertility, they may be made 

 up by manuring, but he never yet met with any land too 

 rich for it." 



Preparation. — The author of the Syflem of Agriculture 

 remarks, that "in the preparation of the land, the foil 

 fhould be always brought into as fine a condition of mould 

 as poffible. This may be effected by repeated ploughing 

 and harrowing, and the previous growth of fuch forts of 

 crops of the green kind as have a tendency to clean and 

 render the land more fine and -mellow." In this intention 

 Mr. Young advifes the taking of two crops of turnips, 

 carrots, or cabbages, either in fucccflion, or alternating with 

 each other, the turnips in the heavier loams being eaten off 

 upon the land in the fecond autumn before it is ploughed up. 

 In either of thefe cafes, from tiie hoeing and conftant cul- 

 ture which is necellary while the crops are upon the lard, it 

 will be left in a fuitable itate of cleannefs and friability. 

 " Others recommend fallowing as a better praftice, the root 

 weeds of every kind being carefully picked out in the dif- 

 ferent ploughings.and harrowings. From the great length 

 of time the ground mufb remain unemployed in this miode of 

 preparation, it is probably only capable of being praftifed 

 with advantage where the lands are heavy and very full of 

 weeds." But whatever mode is employed, the land muft be 

 rendered perfeftly clean before this fort of crop is ventured 

 upon it. 



And it is requifite, that before the feed is put in, the 



mould 



