HEDYSARUM. 
ance when'blown, efpeclally the red fort, which produce's 
very beautiful flowers. As thefe plants decay after 
they have perfe6ted their feeds, there (hould aiini^ 
ally be a freffi fupply of plants raifed, where they are 
defired, for the old roots feldom continue longer. They 
are very proper ornaments for large borders, or to fill 
up vacancies among (drubs, but they grow too large for 
fmall borders, unlefs their (talks are pruned off, leav¬ 
ing only two or three on each plant; which, if kept up¬ 
right with (licks, will prevent their hanging over other 
flowers. They furnifti abundance of food agreeable to 
cattle, if not fuffered to (land till the (talks are too hard 
and (ticky. 
Saint-foin, No. 77, if fown upon a dry, gravelly or 
chalky, foil, will continue eighteen or twenty years ; but 
on a deep moift foil the roots will run down into the 
ground, and in the winter feafon the moilture will rot 
them, fo that it feldom lads above two years in fuch 
places. It is efteemed one of the bed forts of fodder 
for mod cattle, and is a great improvement to chalky 
hills, upon which it fucceeds better than in any other 
foil, and will continue many years, provided there be a 
furface of fix or eight inches upon the chalk. The bed 
time for fowing the feed is the beginning or middle of 
April, according to the feafoii, obferving always to do 
it in dry weather, olherwife the feed will be apt to burfl’, 
and never come up. The feed being large, the com¬ 
mon allowance is four budiels to an acre, but three is 
amply fufficient. If it were fown in rows, as directed 
for lucerne, it would be a great improvement to the 
plants ; for, when thefe have room enough, they branch 
out on every fide, and become very drong ; and by hoe¬ 
ing between them the natural grafs may be kept down, 
which, if permitted to grow:, will rob the faint-foin of 
its nourifliment, and in time dedroy it. Saint-foin is 
frequently fown with oats or barley, but this is a very 
bad method, for what is gained from the crop of corn 
will be doubly lod in the faint-foin ; and this generally 
holds true in mod forts of grafs-feeds, for the corn grow¬ 
ing over it fo weakens the crop beneath, that it fcarcely 
recovers its drength in a year after. 
The ground in which this feed is fown (hould be well 
ploughed, and made very fine. If it be fown in drills, 
the drills (hould be eighteen inches afunder, and about 
an inch deep; if the plants come up too thick, they 
fliould be hoed out to the didance of fix or eight inches, 
when the ground is hoed to dedroy the weeds. The fird 
year by no means feed the crop down ; for, the crown of 
the roots being then young and tender, cattle w’ould eat 
it fo low as entirely to dedroy the roots; and, if large 
cattle were' let in upon it, they would trample it down 
fo much as to prevent its (hooting again ; the fird year 
therefore it (hould be mowed, and this (hould be done 
when it is in flower. The fooner it is carried off the 
ground, when cut, the better it will be for the plants. 
It does not require to be fo often turned as other hay, 
for the dalks being large, they will not lie fo clofe in 
the cocks as to ferment; in catching-weather, there¬ 
fore, the cocks may be made large ; and, if they be turn¬ 
ed and fpread every other day, or once in three days, 
there will be little danger of its heating, fo as to receive 
damage ; but if it be fpread, and much expofed to rain 
and dew, the goodnefs of the hay will be exhaufled. 
The crop will be fit to cut the fird year towards the 
end of July, or at the beginning of Augud. After this, 
is cleared oft', the roots will fooiv (hoot again; and by 
the end of September, provided the feafon be favoura¬ 
ble, there will be a fine crop fit for feeding. Sheep will 
enrich the ground with theirdung, and greatly ftrengthen; 
the roots; but they fliould not be fuffered to remain up¬ 
on it longer than the middle of November the fird year; 
and the fucceeding years, when the crop is cut early, it 
fliould not be fed longer than the middle of September. 
Some cut two crops of faint-foin hay in a year, but the 
latter crop is feldom of much value, and it weakens the 
m 
roots. When feeds of faint-foin are to be faved, the 
crop (hould not be fed too low the foregoing autilmn, 
for that will occafion the dalks to be weak. 
S x aint-foin is exceeding good fof horfes, and is efteem¬ 
ed one of the bed forts of food for mod cattle, efpecially 
in the fpring, rhe're being noi danger attending it, as there 
is in clover. It produces abundance of milk, and but¬ 
ter made of it is very good. Since it has been intro¬ 
duced into England, many dairy farms havebeen fet up, 
where it was formerly thought impracticable ; and, if 
this plant and lucerne were properly cultivated to fuch 
an extent as they might be, not only a much greater 
quantity of milch-cows might be maintained, but a 
greater number of black cattle might be fattened, and 
more (beep and hogs, which would be a great improve¬ 
ment to many eftates in hilly countries ; for, by increaf- 
ing the live flock, there will be an addition of manure 
for dreffmg the land, in proportion. 
Saint-foin is allowed on all hands to be an admirable 
improvement in thin, loofe, dry, Tandy, loams, upon marl 
or chalk bottoms. Thin foils, that wear out or tire of 
clover, are laid down to great advantage with it, will 
; lad twenty years, and pay the farmer as well as his bed 
corn,crops. If a flock of (beep be an objedf of primary 
importance, this plant will afford them plenty of dry 
food for winter in hard weather. An acre of indifferent 
land will yield two tons of faint-foin dry, and therefore 
twenty acres will ferve one thoufand (lteep for a month, 
fuppofing a (lieep eats three poundsof hay in a day, which 
is a large allowance. Now, the expenfe of an acre of 
faint-foin, including fourteen (hillings for rent, tithe, and 
poor, is about one pound ; whereas, that of an acre of 
turnips will be two pounds feveri (hillings. Eight acres 
and a half of turnips then balance twenty acres of faint- 
foin. Now, one thoufand flieep will eat two acres and a 
half of turnips in a day; and therefore,, feverity-five 
acres will be required for a month ; or, at the lowed 
calculation, feventy-four acres; the expanfe of which is 
56I. 8s. to be fet againft twenty pounds, the expenfe of 
faint-foin.- Some green food, however, fliould be joined 
with tire hay, for milch-ewes or cattle. Green bore¬ 
cole,the turnip-rooted cabbage, dr the Swedifti turnip, 
would anfwer this purpofe ; being hardy, and (landing 
above the fnow. One great advantage of this, in com¬ 
mon with other artificial grades, is, that even in a dry 
feafon, from a ton to a ton and a half of hay may be had 
from ail acre, when natural meadows unwatered will 
produce only half a ton. 
The mod common time of fowing faint-foin is the 
fpring; and it is even commonly reputed bad hufoandry 
to fowit in the autumn, becaufe the fro ft is apt to draw 
it Out of the ground. It has however been fown with 
fucqefs in October along with wheat or rye, after winter 
tares. The crop was good, even thefirft feafon, though 
it happened to be a very dry one ; whereas it is Well 
known that faint-foin fown in the fpring yields a very- 
fcanty. crop the firft year, even when aflifted with ma¬ 
nure. At either feafon faint-foin is corrimonly (own with 
corn ; but it is (till doubtful whether the crop of artifi¬ 
cial grafs may not be diminiffied in proportion as the 
crop of corn flourilhes. Other feeds are fometimes fown 
with it to give a crop the firft year, as white clover, com¬ 
mon red clover, and trefoil; of thefe the firft is much 
the bed. The quantify of feed ufiiaHy fown is at lead 
four budiels, and fome fow five; though Mr. Miller is 
for (owing a lefs quantity. In drilling, two budiels are 
fufficient; but this is not a common practice with faint- 
foin. Coal-aflies are a good drefs for faint-foin; and 
foot a dill better, in the quantity of from ten to twenty 
budiels to an acre, laid on early in the fpring. 
Saint-foin is much troubled with a fort of grafs which 
botanifts call bromusJlerilis, and farmers know’ by the name 
of blach-grafs. The fey the flips over it, the feed ripens 
very early, and is difficult to feparate from the faint- 
foin feed/ It may eafily be pulled up by hand. When 
1 the 
