HUSB AND'R Y. 553 
early as pofllble. It is always neceffary to take-off the 
'firft growth in one of thefe ways, as the clover-plant does 
Tiot perfect its feed early in the funtmer. The crop thus 
feferVed for feed mult be differed to remain till the hulks, 
or bloffoms, become perfefiily brown, and the feeds have 
acquired a considerable degree of firmnefs. It fhould 
then be cut, and harvefted in the fame method as the 
common crop, but iet remain in the field till it is more 
perfectly dry and crifp, in order that the feeds may be¬ 
come more fully hardened. It may then be laid up dry, 
in order to the feed being threfhed out in the winter fea- 
fon at the farmer’s convenience.—For the botanical pro¬ 
perties, and further management, of Red Clover, fee the 
article TRiFOLiUNi pratenfe, in this Encyclopaedia. 
Saintfoin. —This valuable plant, though lefs generally 
introduced into cultivation than clover, is not lefs im¬ 
portant or ufeful to the fheep-farmer. It is on the 
lighter and thinner forts of calcareous foils, what clover 
is on all thofe of the ftrong, heavy, and more deep, kind; 
and it has the fuperiority of being more durable. It is 
"equally advantageous for the purpofes of hay as thofe of 
pafturage, and in the latter method has not, it is faid, 
the dangerous property of having or j'welling the cattle, 
that feed upon it, as is the cafe with clover. Its lading 
properties on poor barren foils in hilly fituations, where 
other forts of herbage are deficient or fcarcely to be pro¬ 
cured at all, likewife render it particularly beneficial in 
fupplying a valuable green food for different forts of 
Stock. 
The foils mod proper for this fort of grafs are thofe of 
chalky loams, or any of a mixed quality, provided they 
be not wet, and have a hard calcareous bottom, to check 
the roots at the depth of a foot or fifteen inches below the 
'furface ; otherwise they, are apt to exhauft themfelves in 
running down. On this account it is improper for being 
fown where there is great depth of mould. It is afferted 
to afford a large produce even on thofe of the pooreft 
quality ; and on Inch as are of a more rich and friable 
nature it is often very abundant. It is only, however, in 
the calcareous foils, or fuch as have been well impreg¬ 
nated with that fort of matter, that this plant lucceeds in 
;i perfeft manner, or becomes durable. In regard to the 
preparation of the ground, it cannot be made too clean 
or too fine before the feed is fown ; of courfe it generally 
fucceeds bell after turnips or other fimilar crops which 
require a fine clean culture while they are growing. 
The proportion of feed which is neceffary muff be differ¬ 
ent according to the circumftances of the land ; but 
about four buihels are probably in general the mod pro¬ 
per quantity, as on thefe forts of foil it is better to have 
the plants thick; fome, however, think half the above 
proportion fufficient. 
The earlier the faintfoin crops are fown in the fpring 
the better, becaufe there will be the more chance of their 
vegetating in a luxuriant manner, from the greater pro¬ 
portion of moilture in the foil, than when performed at a 
late period, particularly fhoukl a dry feafon follow ; for 
then much of the feed would be prevented from growing, 
and the young plants be more expofed to the attacks of 
the fly. The.latter end of February or the beginning of 
March may anfwer belt in moff cafes. It is, however, 
by ’fome - agriculturists fown in the autumn with the 
wheat-crop ; but the practice is by no means to be recom¬ 
mended. 
Saintfoin may be fown either alone, or with any of the 
fpring corn-crops; but with barley after turnips is consi¬ 
dered the belt method. Where the barley is drilled, the 
faintfoin may afterwards be put in, in the fame manner, 
but in a contrary direftion. If fown over the wheats, it 
fhould be harrowed in, and afterwards rolled. In what¬ 
ever method it is Town, as the feeds are larger than thofe 
of molt other grades, they fhould be covered in with 
more care, and to a greater depth. In mod cafes, efpe- 
cially in all the more light forts of land on which this 
Vol. X. No. 6S3. 
crop is fown, the ufe of the roller may likewife be ne- 
ceffary. 
On the early management of the crop, a great deal of 
the fuccefs in the culture of this plant depends. Many 
experienced farmers advife its being cut for hay, inflead 
of being paftured ; but others think it more advantageous 
neither to cut nor pafture it in the autumn of the firit 
year. It is probable that both practices may be proper 
under different circumftances,; as in the richer forts of foil, 
where this plant moftly affords a tolerable crop when fown 
alone the firft year, it may be mown without much in¬ 
jury being done to the plants; but in thofe of the more 
barren kinds, where the crops are in general the firft fea¬ 
fon but thin on the ground, it may be advantageous to 
let them remain without being cut or fed down by ftock, 
as by this means they will tiller more, and form a better 
and more clofe fward in the following year. By the 
plants in this cafe being fuffered to remain, beiides the 
advantage juft mentioned, they will have-acquired a great 
vigour of growth, and the Succeeding crops be greatly 
increafed from the {bedding of their feeds. In all cafes, 
in the fucceeding Summers a crop of hay may be taken, 
and the after-grafs be fed down by any forts of cattle ex¬ 
cept fheep, till towards December; care being taken that 
they do not eat it in too clofe a manner, as, where that is 
the cafe, they may be in danger of injuring the crowns 
of the plants. In the following autumns there will, how¬ 
ever, be lefs rilk in this refpeft ; and fheep, as well as 
other cattle, may be turned in, and kept upon the paftures 
till they are well eaten down, being always careful tofliut 
them up as early as pofllble in the beginning of the year. 
When made into hay, faintfoin is an extremely nutritious 
fodder for working-horfes, as well as other forts of cattle. 
And the-.after-grafs is highly valuable for weaning and 
fupporting lambs'. 
The application ofmanureupon faintfoin-lays is of great 
utility, when put on in the latter end of the feconcl au¬ 
tumn after they have been laid down. For this purpofe 
peat-allies ^are the belt material where they can be pro¬ 
cured. Other forts of afhes are likewife found beneficial. 
They fhould be applied fo. ns to form a thin even dreff- 
ing; loot has alfo been found of great utility when fpread 
evenly over thefe lays about the beginning of January, in 
the proportion of about twenty-five buAxels to the acre ; 
and malt-duft has been employed in the fame way -with 
fuccefs. Where top-dreflings' of'this fort can be applied 
every third year, the faintfoin-crops, when well eftablifhed 
in the foils, may be preferved in a State of vigorous growth 
for ten or fifteen years, and the land be.considerably im¬ 
proved by the roots. It ufually attains its gerfeft growth 
about the third year; and begins to decline towards the 
eighth or tenth, or {boner, if not well afnfted by manure 
in the manner mentioned above. 
In letting this crop Hand for feed, it fhould remain on 
the land till the bulks become of a fomewhat brown co¬ 
lour, and the feeds are perfefijly plump and firm,• as by 
thefe means they will not only be better, but in lefs dan¬ 
ger of being injured in the field from the little time that 
it will be neceffary for them to remain, and alio lefs in 
danger of being hurt by heating when laid up. Alter 
this degree of maturity is attained, the crop fhould be 
mown as foon as pofllble, and remain expofed in the 
fwath till the upper furface is fully dried ; it muff then 
be turned over in a very careful manner, fo as to prevent 
the feed from fhedding. This fide being rendered per¬ 
fectly dry and crifp in the fame way, the crop is either 
threfhed out upon cloths in the field, or laid up in Hacks 
to be threfhed at leisure. 
Upon the whole, faintfoin is a plant of vaft utility to 
the farmer, not only in providing a full fupply of fodder 
for the Support of ftock, bilt of abundant feed for the 
latter part of autumn, in foils that are," ad pat ad to its cul¬ 
ture, as it is capable of affording a large produce, even 
on thin poor lands, that under other circumftances yield 
7 B only 
