Cviiivaiion of the Lupine as Food for Shup. 
10? 
Ok Lupdtes. 
About ten rears a»o the caltivation of this plant, which 
for a long time had been grown for an ornament in flower- 
gardens, was introduced into regular farming. W e cultivate 
two distinct species — the vellow and the blue lupine f Lupimts 
luteus. et Ati^isti folitis, Linn.}. The vellow lapine has yellow 
flowers : the whole plant is more succulent, with more and larger 
leaves, and with a softer stem ; the seeds are smaller, and of a 
lighter vellowish colour, with darker speckles. The blue lupine 
has blue flowers : the plant is stiffer and harsher, the leaves 
smaller and not so plentiful, the seeds somewhat larger and of 
a darker colour. Both plants have nearlv the same conditions 
of vegetation. What makes them very important for agriculture 
is their growing luxuriantly on light, poor, sandy soils, in situ- 
ations where no other of our leguminous plants could live. We 
hare some districts in the northern parts of Germany and Prussia 
where a miserable crop of rye was nearly the only production, 
and where even buck-wheat would fail in dry seasons ; and it is 
in such situations that farming has become profitable by the cul- 
tiration of the lupines, and where, in consequence, the rent has 
been much more than doubled. For such poor dry land it has 
been proved a good plan to sow the vellow lupine '^especiallv 
this because it is more succulent) in Jime ; to roll it down when 
it is in lull flower, the first pods beginning to show : to plough 
the field, and to sow a corn-crop some weeks after ploughing, and 
very olten a better crop has been raised than after manuring with 
cattle-dung, a stuff" of course not abundant in such poor situa- 
tions. There may be some conditions when such a manner of 
"green-manuring,"' as it is called, may be advisable, but gene- 
rally I think it a much better plan to fold off the plant with 
sheep, which, not at first, but after they have been accus- 
tomed to it, are very fond of the yellow lupine in this state, 
and thrive remarkably well on it. If the seeds are sown in 
spring, which we here dare not do before the end of April or the 
beginning of May. sharp night-frosts being destFuctive to the 
young plant, the vegetation is slow in the first weeks, but it soon 
becomes very rapid. In the poorest soil, if any rain faUs, the 
plants grow to the height of three or four feet, and a great quan- 
tity of beautiful flowers cover the whole field. The seeds of the 
first flowers begin to ripen when the top of the plant is still bloom- 
ing, and lor that reason the plant must be cut before finishing its 
growth ; even then there is always some loss of seeds, the ripe 
pods being very prone to open by the heat of a sunnv dav. 
The best plan to secure good seeds, when labour is cheap enough, 
is to send children into the field before mowing, or after mowinff 
