practice to sow it down with a straw crop, 
and thus obtain a return from the field during 
the unproductive period of the lucerne crop. 
WllilC this plan, especially on light dry soils, 
has the advantage of shading the young 
plants from the action of the sun, and at the 
same time preserving the surface in a more 
moist condition, yet these advantages would 
riant returns to the grower, receiving pecu¬ 
liar special treatment according to the object 
for which it is cultivated. 
PREPARATION OF THE UNO. 
In preparing the land for the reception of 
lucerne it is a matter of urgent, primary 
importance that it he thoroughly cleansed 
from weeds, whether annual or otherwise, as 
PRODUCE PER ACRE. 
The gross produce per aero of greeu food 
when the crop is in lull hearing, is from go to 
30 tons, this return being readily obtained, 
where the proper conditions to secure success 
have been observed. Lucerne is cultivated 
in Canada and the states to a limited extent ; 
but, we know no reason why its more gen¬ 
eral cultivation should not be entered into. 
In the neighborhood of large cities, we 
imagine it would be a peculiarly easy and 
profitable crop to" raise, and we confidently 
anticipate an increased attention on the part 
of farmers to the more extended cultivation 
of this important and valuable forage crop.— 
Canada Warmer. 
LUCERNE 
Lttcernk, if properly cultivated, in a soil 
and locality well adapted for its proper devel¬ 
opment, is one of the best and most profitable 
of green fodder plants ; indeed it may be 
considered supreme among the artificial 
grasses. Lucerne was well kuowu in the 
early days of Roman husbandry, and the 
writers of that period speak of it in terms of 
the highest encomium. Columella especially 
I (raises it and estimates it as the choicest 
fodder, lasting many years as a crop, and 
susceptible of being cut down advantageously 
four, five and even six times each year. He 
also asserts that it is a crop positively enrich¬ 
ing to the soil producing it, exceedingly 
fattening to depasturing animals, and not 
unfrcquently a valuable remedy iu cases of 
sick beasts. He also tells us that “ a measure 
of laud (equal to about three-fourths of an 
imperial acre) was considered amply sufficient 
for the sustenance of three horses during an 
entire year.” I’alladius gives similar testi¬ 
mony ; and Pliny, while agreeing as to 
the frequency with which the lucerne crop 
may be mown in the course of the season, 
differs from them in his estimate of its per¬ 
manency. 
Lucerne belongs to the order Leguminosai, 
and of the genus Modicago, of which although 
there are several species, only two have 
entered into English cultivation. The moat 
important of these is the Medic,ago Saliva — 
common lucerne — an erect-growing, peren¬ 
nial plant, with roots penetrating to a great 
depth in suitable soils. The flowers grow in 
clusters and of a purplish blue color when the 
plant reaches a hight of about three feet, 
which it docs in England in June and July. 
Under favorable circumstances, the resultant 
produce is very great, and owing to tiie 
pereunial habit of the plant, the annual out¬ 
lay for labor is much reduced. It is consid¬ 
ered judicious to cut the crop during the first 
year; a good bulky crop may fairly be 
gathered during the second year, but full 
maturity is not reached till the third year, 
and a vigorous growth may be calculated on 
for some six or seven years more, when the 
roots become symptomatic of decay, ami the 
plant declines in vigor. 
Med/icago LnpulinO /—Yellow Clover or 
Nonsuch —is frequently, in England, mixed 
in small quantities witli clover and other 
seeds in laying down artificial grasses. It is 
a great seed producer, aud consequently 
cheaper than those of any of the clovers, and 
this fact may possibly account for its popu¬ 
larity with many English farmers, as al¬ 
though its produce is bulky, cattle are no 
great lovers of it, either in a green or diy 
state, and prefer it mixed with more palata¬ 
ble varieties of fodder. 
SUITABLE SOILS. 
Lucerne delights in soils of a deep, dry 
nature in which its tap-root can descend 
without check to the subsoil and draw its 
requisite supplies of food aud moisture. Of 
this character are vegetable molds, light 
friable loams, and even gravels. Alluvial 
deposits on a sandy substratum are also well 
adapted for the crop. Clay and strong clay- 
loams are unsuitable for its proper develop¬ 
ment., as being too compact, in their character 
to admit of Chat free penetration of the roots 
which lucerne loves to display, not to men¬ 
tion the liability of such soils to an excess of 
moisture and consequent low temperature, 
of both of which it has an especial dislike. 
We must not be understood as entirety 
discouraging the cultivation of lucerne on 
clay lunds, for it has not unfrcquently been 
found that even on them large crops have 
been obtained ; we would merely indicate 
that the lighter class of soils possesses prefer¬ 
ential claims to its successful cultivation. As 
in the case of all the leguminous plants, 
lucerne cannot thrive without a proper sup¬ 
ply of lime in tho soil, and this will be fitly 
illustrated by examining the following analy¬ 
sis of lucerne ashes by Sprengil: 
P'Jtiieh.14.03 
. 6.44 
JJme.6o.f,7 
Mfltiacela. 3.64 
Oxide of Iron, Alumina, &c. 0.63 
Phosphoric Acid.13.68 
Sulplutrio Acid,.. 4.32 
Chlorino. ip2X 
. 3.4U 
100.no 
Lucerne can hardly be called a rotation 
crop, inasmuch as its permanency of habit 
gives it a distinguishing feature from the 
other forage crops, and indeed gives it a 
distinctive value, as it continues to be a pro¬ 
ductive crop during the entire period of our 
longest rotation. It is usually grown for its 
own intrinsic value as a crop, yielding luxu- 
SIXTY BUSHELS OF POTATOES FROM A 
PECK. 
B. Hathaway tells, in Michigan Farmer, 
how lie raised sixty bushels of Campbell’s 
Late Rose potatoes from one peck of seed, as 
follows: 
As it may be of interest to some to. know 
how 1 was enabled to grow so much as sixty 
bushels from one peck of seed, I will give my 
manner of procedure. In the first place I 
did not send for my potatoes as early as I 
should lnivo done, consequently when they 
came they hud sprouted to that extent that 
1 lost a good many eyes* a handful at least. 
I carefully cut to single eyes, and planted one 
eye ill a hill, the hills three by three felt, on 
good laud, well prepared, and dressed witli 
manure and ashes. When the plants had 
reached the hight of about six inches, where 
there were two or more, 1 dug down and 
took oil all but one. These 1 planted out on 
ground prepared for tho purpose. 
This process, while if served to multiply 
tho stock and to increase the yield, tended to 
retard the grow th, and consequently delay 
the ripening, especially for tho re-set plants. 
The drouth came on before the young 
plants had fairly got a good hold, as did also 
the bugs ; and for some time T despaired of 
getting any crop at all. But after the rains 
came, and l had had a most tremendous 
battle with the insect hosts of the Rocky 
Mountains, 1 took heart, anil gave the plants 
such care a# the circumstances would permit. 
L planted as above, three by three feet, and 
the one stalk to a hill hail so grown before 
September came that the ground was as fully 
and entirely covered, and matted with the 
vines, as ever was seen in a field of Peach 
Blows, planted in the usual way. 
Before digging my crop, I occasionally 
would remark to some neighbor that I 
counted on about fifty bushels from one peck 
of seed. This would only elicit a look of 
compassion from my wise friend as much as 
to say, “ I have seen men with a softening 
of the brain before. I am really sorry for 
you.” However, when they were all dry, J. 
tilled twenty three bushel barrels, and pressed 
t hem in, and laid nearly a barrel of the small¬ 
est size left. 
With a. usually favorable season, and a peck 
of such seed as I now have, so 1 would lose 
npue by loss of sprouts, and beginning early, 
so as to make a hill of every shoot that the 
eyes from the peck of seed would make, I 
would run no risk in laying a wager to raise 
one hundred bushels from the same seed 
from which I raised this sixty. 
EXTRA EARLY VERMONT POTATO 
This is another of the new potatoes B. K. 
Bliss & Son are sending out, about which 
we have inquiries. Tho testimony of those 
who have grown it is, that it is from seven to 
ten day's earlier than the Early Rose, ft is a 
seedling, originating with George W. Wood- 
unirsE, West Rutland, Vt., in Ustifi, from a 
seed* ball of the Jackson White. It is regarded 
possible that the blossoms of the Jackson 
White may have been, fertilized by those of 
the Garnet Chili, growing near, as this new 
seedling strongly resembles many seedlings 
ol'that variety. We arc told that the habit 
and growth of the new seedling are much 
like those of the Early Rose, as well as its 
general appearance. Vines of medium hight, 
somewhat spreading, the tubers growing 
very compactly in the hill. For four years 
they have been grown side by side with the 
Early Rose, both under the same treatment, 
and have proved from seven to ten days 
earlier than that favorite sort ; they are more 
productive, fully equal if not superior in qual¬ 
ity, llesh very white, dry and floury, an 
excellent keeper, and is every way a most 
promising variety. 
Harrowing Winter Wheat, according to a 
recent, French letter, is being pretty generally 
practiced by French farmers, who find it 
profitable. 
P 
