84 



Lucerne and Trefoil Seed. 



[may, 



is most highly esteemed, the counties of Kent and Essex alone 

 accounting for nearly one-half of the total area, or 24,753 acres. 



There 'is little doubt but that the cultivation of this valuable 

 forage plant has been attempted in districts and soils unsuitable 

 to its growth, and the cause of failure has been due, in a certain 

 degree, to a lack of knowledge of the plant's requirements. 

 The increased area sown is, however, direct evidence that these 

 requirements are becoming better known and appreciated by 

 the farmer. 



Lucerne, while belonging to the same family of plants as the 



Fig. 3. — Spotted Medick {Medicago niaculata) (magnified six diameters). 



cultivated clovers {LeguminoscE), is, with trefoil (though there is 

 not much apparent affinity between them) a member, not of 

 the genus Trifolmm^ as might be supposed, but of the genus 

 Medicago, the one Medicago sativa (lucerne or purple medick), 

 the other Medicago lupulina (black medick or trefoil). 



The deep-rooting habit of lucerne, and its capacity on that 

 account of withstanding prolonged drought, are among its most 

 valuable characteristics. The tap-root, in suitable soils, becomes 

 strongly developed, and descends to a depth of two feet or more 

 during the first season's growth, and in a deep, genial sub- soil, 

 containing a fair amount of lime^, roots penetrating to a depth 

 of ten to twelve feet have frequently been traced. When grown 



