398 
Composition of the Yellorc Lupine, 
the land was very dry at the time of planting, and the weather 
was very cold and dry for some time afterwards. 
In the first six weeks after the plants appeared they made very 
little progress ; at the end of that time their growth became asto- 
nishingly rapid ; and by the first week of August they were just 
beginning to bloom, and the piece had a most luxuriant appear- 
ance. By the middle of August the lupines were so thickly 
covered with flowers as to appear almost a mass of yellow, and 
they continued in this state until the time of weighing, Sept. 
24th. 
I cannot give you much information on the feeding properties 
of green lupines. Having had a wish to save as many as I could 
for seed, with a view of testing the feeding properties of the dry 
seed and the yield per acre, and also to obtain seed for next 
season, I did not consume much in a green state at the time they 
were in the best state for feeding. 
I had some ewes penned on a portion of the crop for a few 
nights, giving them a fresh piece every night ; and they made 
good work, eating all but the main stem, which at this time (first 
week in September) was rather hard. At this time there was a 
show of abundance of seed, but the season was too wet and cold 
to ripen it. When I had given up all hope of obtaining seed, I 
again put the sheep on the lupines (this was early in November), 
and they cleared off all the leaves and soft branches, leaving only 
the woody stems. Four yearling heifers in a bare pasture-field 
have been supplied with a quantity every morning during the last 
three weeks. They come to this as they would to hay or turnips, 
and clear up all but the main stem. These heifers have im- 
proved since they have had the lupines, which they received 
instead of hay, the pasture not being sufficient to keep them up 
in condition. Pigs refuse the lupines. 
With regard to the cultivation of this crop, it appears to 
require no more care than is usually bestowed on peas or beans. 
Indeed, in this case not more than ordinary care was bestowed 
upon them. Probably deep cultivation would favour their 
growth. Thirteen inches is a good width for the drills when the 
crop is intended for green food ; but when intended for the 
growth of seed, 20 inches is not too wide, and the plants should 
stand singly in the drills. Perhaps dibbling might be better than 
drilling. 
Before giving you the results of the weighings of green 
lupines, I must mention that, as the experiment was intended to 
show the produce of seed as well as of green food, a part of the 
field was selected where the plants stood wider apart and the 
crop was not so large as on the greater portion of the field, but 
