216 



On Early Spring Feed. 



promising early growth is tried indicates how desirable a point 

 it is to secure an early supply of succulent food. At one time 

 it was hoped that this desideratum was discovered in the crim- 

 son trefoil. The writer of this paper made a trial of it at its 

 first introduction. It was sown upon a wheat stubble, on land 

 intended for turnips, and got in the first week of September, 

 after one ploughing and a very slight dressing of compost. The 

 greatest part of it went off by the frosts during winter — one plot 

 was eaten with the ewes and lambs in April, but the produce 

 was so trifling as to be a mere mockery to the animals. The 

 remainder was allowed to rem.ain to see whether it would after- 

 wards be available. It Vvas not broken into until the latter end 

 of May, indeed after the sheep w^ere shorn^ and was so thin and 

 stunted as to be scarcely worth the trouble of cultivation. Owing 

 to the lateness of the season when the land v/as broken up the 

 turnips on the trifolium piece failed — the barley which succeeded 

 was overrun with weeds, and the red clover from this too rapid 

 succession of the trifoliums was unusually bad. 



The writer was scarcely satisfied with these experiments, and 

 imagined he had met v/ith foreign-grown seed too tender for our 

 country, and determined to endeavour to procure English seed. 

 The introducer of it, J. Foaker, Esq., very kindly sent him a 

 small parcel for a trial, but though very carefully tried under 

 the most advantageous circumstances he had to pronounce it most 

 decidedly unsuccessful. 



Some farmers tell us of the success of feeding the ewes at 

 yeaning time with young furze, portions of which they annually 

 burn^, to have it of the requisite growth. As this however can 

 apply only to sheep of constitutions peculiarly strong, it is scarcely 

 worth notice. 



The winter tare is one of the most valuable esculents for 

 stock in possession of the cultivator, and affords the greatest 

 bulk of nutriment of any cultivated green crop, turnips perhaps 

 excepted, and is relished at all seasons and by every kind of 

 stock. It is sometimes resorted to for depasturation in the 

 springs wilh a view to subsequent soiling, but it is after all rather 

 a summer than a spring crop ; and it is more than problematical 

 that the injury done to the crop by spring feeding upon it is 

 greater than the amount of spring food thus obtained. If it be 

 worth while to have a supply of early feed, it is worth while 

 clearly to provide a crop specially for that purpose. As a spring 

 crop, according to the writer's observation and experience, it is 

 decidedly inferior to other cultivated plants. 



The writer of this paper has seen rye -grass very successfully 

 cultivated as early spring-feed sown alone. It requires to be 

 sown a whole year before it is fit to consume^ and thus lies open 



