524 
Gorse as Food for Cattle. 
came on wet and stormy : the barley grew to the height of five 
feet, became lodged, and smothered my entire crop of gorse. 
Having broken my leg in fox-hunting, I lost the next year. In 
the spring of 1839 I sowed an acre of the steepest hill on the 
Apennines ; and, to avoid my first error, it was unaccompanied 
with any other crop. The gorse came up very partially, and the 
weeds very luxuriantly, smothering all the late-growing plants. 
Weeders were set to work, and many of the remaining plants fell 
a sacrifice to their carelessness, which caused this year's experi- 
ment to be nearly a failure ; and not having any person to seek 
instruction from, I was greatly disheartened, but did not despair. 
In 1840 I sowed the south side of another hill in drills, for the 
purpose of careful weeding. The seed came up most partially, 
a great portion not appearing until autumn, and a severe winter 
coming on, the late plants perished, leanng about half the ground 
bare. In the autumn I purchased 70,000 seedling plants, at 
6rf. per thousand, which I dibbled in to fill up the vacant space : 
those plants succeeded very well, and completed the plantation. 
The following spring I put the ground intended for the plan- 
tation under early potatoes, and sowed the gorse in a bed in the 
kitchen-garden. The potatoes were ploughed out in September, 
when I had the ground cleanly picked and rolled, that the scythe 
might work as near the ground as possible. I dibbled in the 
plants from the seedling bed in rows six inches asunder, and the 
plants six inches apart in the rows ; thus the whole ground was 
covered with plants six inches apart every way. This system 1 
have continued with success, not a plant having missed, and the 
ground looks well covered. I must here observe, that to make 
success sure the plants must be in the ground, if possible, in 
September, but not later than November, or their succeeding 
will be very doubtful. 
I am now (March, 1845) sowing a bed of gorse seed in the 
garden, for the purpose of adding a couple of acres next Sep- 
tember, having so well succeeded in the transplanting system. 
A statute acre of ground, when planted with seedlings six inclies 
apart, takes 174,240 plants. A pound of seed, allowing two- 
thirds to come up, will produce 50,000 plants, therefore 4 lbs. of 
seed will be ample for an acre of ground. In the broadcast 
system I have, with bad success, sowed 28 lbs. to the acre, the 
cost being Is. per pound, making a saving in favour of trans- 
planting which will more than pay the expense attending it; 
besides, the value of the early potatoes should exceed 20/. To 
insure a regularity in coming up, I steep the seed four days, 
and then allow it to remain in a heap for a week or ten days, to 
insure regular vegetation before sowing, keeping the heap turned 
every day, to prevent fermentation. 
