84 
_ from the Lucerne patch. When sown alone Mr. Sutton says that sain- 
- foin is liable to decrease and become overrun with weeds. He recom- 
mends its use as a predominant constituent in a mixture of grasses and 
clovers. He says that combined with strong growing grasses there is 
less risk, and the grasses keep down the weeds which otherwise are apt 
to overrun the sainfoin. In a green state it is quite free from the 
danger of blowing cattle (hoven), and when made into hay is an ad- 
mirable and nutritious food. But it requires great care in drying when 
made into hay. 
Mr. Sinclair states that the produce of sainfoin ona clayey loam with 
a sandy subsoil is greater than on a sandy or gravelly soil resting upon 
clay. 
A French writer says that sainfoin can not accommodate itself to 
damp soil, which, although dry, rests upon a wet subsoil. It delights in 
dry soil, somewhat gravelly, and, above all, calcareous. It flourishes 
upon the declivities of hills where water can not remain, and in light soil 
where its powerful roots can readily penetrate. But although surviving 
in the poorest calcareous soil, like clover and lucerne, its productive- 
ness is always relative to the permeability and fertility of theland. It 
prefers open, sunny places, with a southern or eastern exposure. 
Sainfoin has received several trials in this country, but without much 
success, probably from the experiments having been made upon un- 
suitable soil. We can not expect that it will be preferred in places 
where clover succeeds, but in light soils and in regions with a light 
yain-fall it should receive a thorough trial. A> recent bulletin of the 
Iowa Agricultural College gives the resultof some experiments with 
this plant which are very satisfactory. Observations there made indi- 
cate that it stands early freezing quite as well as Kentucky blue grass. 
It produces at the rate of 3 tons of dry hay per acre. It deserves trial 
in Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado, (Plate 95.) 
MEDICAGO. 
Medicago sativa (Alfalfa). 
This plant is cafled Lucerne, medick, Spanish trefoil, French clover, 
Brazilian clover, and Chilian clover. It is not a true clover, though be- 
longing to the same natural family as theclovers. Alfalfa, the name by 
which itis commonly known in this country, is the Spanish name, which 
came into use here from the fact that the plant was introduced into culti- 
vation in California from South America under the name of alfalfa, or — 
Brazilian clover. The plant had previously been introduced into the 
Eastern and Southern States, but attracted little attention until its 
remarkable success in California. In Europe it is generally known as 
Lucerne, probably from the canton of Lucerne, in Switzerland, where ~ 
it was largely cultivated at an early day. It has been known in cultiva- 
tion from very ancient times, and was introduced from Western Asia into — 
Greece about 500 B.C. It is now largely grown in southern France, 
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