LUC 



LUC 



fieep (liou'd not, however, remain on longer tlian while the 

 frefh fhoots are eaten down " And it is concluded on the 

 <4'liole. that " thoucjh this plant is capab'e of being- tluis ufc- 

 fnlly applied, conlidering the great expenccs which arc nc- 

 cefliiry in raifing and keeping liicern crops in a llate of pro- 

 duiflion, and their affording bnt little prodnce, cfpccially 

 when fown without corn, for the two firll years, nolwith- 

 ftanding they appear to yield a great advantage in the prac- 

 tice of foiling animals ; it is probable that much of the profit 

 depends upon the method of confuming triem, and not on 

 that of the particularly advantageous nature of the plant. 

 Its fujieriority to clover, when tlie differences in the expcnces 

 of their culture, and other circunnit-fnces, are fairly brought 

 into view, will not perhaps appear fo great as many, on a 

 fuperficial obfervation, may have fuppofed. The point in 

 which it mod materially excels that alrnoll invaluable plant, 

 IS, the duration, or time, which it lafts in the ground, after 

 being once introduced, continuing from ten to fifteen and 

 even twenty years, according to the (late and nature of the 

 •foil and the attention that is bellowed in the after manage- 

 ment. This is a circumftance of the firll importance, in 

 cafes where the cultivator widiea to avoid the trouble and 

 expence of grain crops, as he can keep a fuitable extent of 

 land under this crop, for the purpofe of foiling his llock 

 without them, while with clover it is utterly impoffible. 

 Where the proportion of land is fmall, and the quantity of 

 cattle and horfe tlock difproportionately large, it is a plant 

 ■admirably calculated for the cultivator's purpofe, when 

 grown convenient to the farm-yards, and kept in due order 

 by proper cultivation. In has alfo been recommended on 

 dairy farms, as of great utility in fupporting the cows, and 

 increafing the quantity of milk. Where the foils are fuit- 

 able, a few acres under this grafs, round the houfe, mull in 

 <nlnio(l all cafes be valuable for the purpofe of early green 

 food." 



The advantages of cultivating lucern are confulered by- 

 Mr. Young fo extremely great, that the " agriculturill 

 fhoulJ, he thinks, determine at all events to have fufficient at 

 the leall, for the fummer fupport of all his teams, and other 

 horfes ; and if in addition to this quantity, he provides alfo 

 for thus feeding much other flock in his farm-yard, he will 

 find it a mod profitable praAice." 



Braking up old Lucern Grounds. — It has been already fug- 

 gelled, that " on attempting to break up lands that have 

 been long under this fort of crop, it has been fomctimes 

 -found, from the great ilrength of the roots of the Incern 

 plant?, and the confequent difficulty of dellroying them, that 

 they hav-e been reilored in fuch a manner, as to induce the 

 cul:ivator to leave them again for the produdlion of this 

 grafs." And that in fituations where fuch grounds could 

 be conveniently flooded or covered vi-ith water occalionally, 

 they might be very advantageoufly converted into good niea- 

 do-.v or grafs lands. Afore of application, that has long 

 fince been recommended. 



In cutting lucern crops, the author of the Farmer's Ca- 

 !eidar fuggells that it (hould always be perfornied in a lon- 

 gitudinal direftion of the drills, or rows, or of the field, in 

 order that ,a fcarifying may be given to the young growth b*. 

 fore it is too far advanced. And the fame writer remarks, 

 that this fort of crop requires much manure, for though on 

 good land it may afford a good produce, without fuch appli- 

 cation ; to carry its cultivation to the highell flate of per- 

 fection, " not only of product but alio of clear projlt," it 

 ihould have plenty. 



But though this fort of plant is feldom liable to be injured 

 by the froft, in the fouthern diilritla of the kingdom, where 

 ii is the moll extenfively cul:ivat€d} » writer in an ufefiil pe- 



VoL. XXI. 



riodical work, complains that in an experiment of bis, in 

 w iiich the lucern was drilled about a foot diflant in the rows, 

 it deltroyed every plant. "A few indeed, (fays he,) at 

 diftant intervals, recovered in the fpring, and grew very de- 

 cently, pufhing out long, flrong, and carrot roots ; but 

 their number was fo inconfiderabic, and the weeds fo abun. 

 dant and luxuriant, that it became nccefTary to plow all 

 down." In this cafe the land does not feem to have been in 

 a proper (late of either preparation or heart for the growth 

 of this fort of crop. And it is fuggeflcd, that in giving thij 

 fort of food to cow,=, it is neccdary to have the precaution 

 of letting it be made ufe of the day after it is cut, and not 

 the fame day, as in this cafe the animal is liable to fwell. In 

 his trials it was found that a large cow confumed about 

 eighty-four pounds of this food in twenty-four hours, and 

 that if more be given, the animal will probably wafle if. 

 And it is added, that the butter made from milk produced 

 from this fort of food, is equal to any made from cows fed on 

 the befl meadows and paflures. 



LUCERNA, in G-.ography, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Po, lately belonging to Piedmont, in the 

 province of the Four Vallies, to one of which it gives name ; 

 five miles S.W. of Pinerolo. 



Lucern.!, in Ickthyology, a fpecies of Tr'tgla ; which 

 fee. 



LUCERNARIA, in Natural Hi/lory, a genus of the 

 Vermes MoUufca clafs and order. Body gelatinous, w-riiikled, 

 branched ; mouth placed beneath. There are three fpecies, 

 which inhabit the Nr;r:l;crn leas, and live among the " fuel" 

 and " ulva>," generally adhering firmly to their habitation, 

 and rarely changing their abode ; they feed on polypes, or 

 onifci ; the body is commonly headlcls and eyele'fs, with 

 granulated tubercles. 



Species. 



QuADRtcORNi-s. Bcdy long coiled, with four forked 

 arms tentaculate at the tip. Inhabits fuci, and feeds on 

 polypes. The body is without liead or eyes, brown, pel- 

 lucid, quadrangular, each angle running into an arm, the 

 br.inches of which are terminated by a fafciculus of thirty 

 or forty tentacula ; tail fl.xuous in the middle and difpofcd 

 in numerous plaits and folds, thickened at the bafe and ta- 

 pering gradually, obtufe at the tip, and cxtcnfile, like 

 the tentacula: ; mouth white with cinereous flrii, and four- 

 toothed. 



PllRYGlA. B^dy long papillous, with numerous globe- 

 rlferous arms deflected into an hemifphere ; fixed at the bafe 

 by a byfTus or mafs of filaments. This is found in the 

 Greenland feas at a confiderable depth, and feldom changes 

 its abode. Body varying in Ihape, about half an inch long, 

 reddidi with white globules and papilhe ; neck cretf, exfer- 

 tile, and befet with numerous exlertile papilla; ; arms ihort, 

 flender, and entaii'.ded together. 



Auricula. Ilefembhng an oil-tlail< ; neck round, the 

 lower extremities dilated and furrounded with eight fafciculi 

 of tentacula. This fpecies is likewife found in the Green- 

 land leas, adhering very firmly to the largell uIv.t, frcni 

 which it rarely moves ; feeds on oni.''ci, and is about an 

 inch and a haif long. iJody black or rcddifh, rarely chi-f- 

 niit-brown with a gold tii ge, lubricofe, ghbrous, the mar- 

 gin furrounded with eight granulate tubercles, refemb.'intr fo 

 many fafciculi of tentacula, containing about fixty in each ; 

 thefe are black tipt with white ; mouth white. 



LUCE RNATES, in the Ecchf.ajlkal H-Jlcry, a term uf-d 

 by the primitive Chriltians for canticles, which they fiing i:i 

 their iiudurnal aiTemblics ; probably from thefe rites being 

 erfortred by kmp-ligbt. 



4 B LUCKNOV.* 



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