Seeding of Sainfoin and Lucerne. 



43 



ready for cutting ; this was an excellent hay mixture and a 

 heavy crop. The results were very similar on plots 7-12 

 as on the corresponding plots, but on the plots sown with a 

 crop grass seeds grew best ; whereas lucerne, and especially 

 sainfoin, did much better on the plots sown without a crop. 



On October 6th, 1897, tne aftermath on plots 1 and 2 was 

 good, 2 being rather better than 1 ; the same remark 

 applied to plot 3 ; on plots 4 and 5 the aftermath was very 

 deficient ; the plant on plot 5 was good, but on plot 4 was 

 patchy ; on plot 6 there was a fair amount of herbage, 

 lucerne being present in much more abundance than sain- 

 foin ; on plots 7 and 8 there was a heavy crop of aftermath, 

 with plenty of lucerne plant ; on plot 9 the aftermath was 

 fair ; on plots 10 and 1 1 the sainfoin plant was rather 

 patchy, and there was very little aftermath ; and on plot 12 

 there was a fair amount of aftermath in which lucerne was 

 prominent. 



The following notes on the appearance of the plots were 

 made on June 13th, 1898 : — 



Plots 1 and 2 would be ready for cutting in a week, and 

 brome grass, Italian ryegrass, and weeds were present in abun- 

 dance. On plot 3 the hay was of best quality and free from 

 weeds. The crop covered the ground well, a few sainfoin 

 plants being present and much cowgrass. Plots 4 and 5 

 were ready for mowing four days before ; they were rather 

 weedy, with much brome grass present. Plot 6 was growing 

 hay of excellent quality, just ready for cutting, all the seeds 

 in the mixture being well represented. On plots 7-12 the 

 appearances were somewhat the same as on plots 1-6, but in 

 most cases the crop appeared to be rather lighter. 



The general conclusions derived from the Oxfordshire 

 experiments are as follows : — 



The plots sown with a crop were, on the whole, much better 

 than those sown without a crop, and were freer from weeds. 

 Where drilled and hoed afterwards a smaller amount of seed 

 had, as a rule, given a better plant. So far as the experi- 

 ments have gone, lucerne seems to be distinctly ahead of 

 sainfoin ; the sainfoin is as good for the first crop of hay, but 

 is weak for the aftermath. The lucerne and sainfoin 



