Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 3, 1802).djvu/152

132&#93; 132I LUC t)ut the soli Vvill be settled around their roots. — The intermediate spaces ought to be carefully clear- ed from weeds after every cutting ; and when the plant arrives at per- feftion, it will admit of being mowed five and even six times in one season. Lucern is of great value, and fully merits the commendations bestowed upon its culture. On rich and well-tilled soils, its growth is so rapid, that it rises to the height of eighteen inches within thirty or forti/ days 5 and its pro- duce on poor land is fully adequate to maintain three horses per acre ; though, if the ground be well, ma- naged, it will readily support from tliree to six horses. The expence ©f raising this plant Is very consi- derable : Mr. Harte, in his Es- says on Huslandry (Svo. 5.s. 6d. i2d edit.) estimates it, when trans- planted, at dl. 12s. per acre for the iirst year ; and the cost of the se- cond, as well as each subsequent year, during the continuance of the plant (which may be fixed upon an average at ten years), will amount to about 2l. per acre. If lucern be drilled, Mr. Young computed, in 1790, the expence of tl)e first year to be as follows : O £. s. Two spring -plough- 7 ^^ ^g ings, extra - - 3 Harrowing 026 Eight pounds of seed -080 Drilling 02(5 Horse-hoeing In autumn 2 6 Hand-hoeins: in ditto -050 First year - £.118 6 Anmial : Kent, tythe, and rates 1 10 Four horse-hoeings - O 10 .2 LUd Tlu'ce hand-hoeings - 12 d Five mowings - - - 12 6 Raking togeliier - - 5 O Loading and carting home O 7 6 Manuring, to the an- nual amount of - }° 12 O £.4 9 2 Mr. Young observes, that It 13 difficult to calculate the expence of mowing, raking, and carting, un- less the plantation be sufficiently large to furnish employment for a man, boy, and horse. He is aware of having computed it rather high, though he has not perhaps exag- gerated the cost, if the loss of time necessarily attendant on short em- ploy be properly considered. He is therefore inclined to raise the to- tal annual expence to 5. : because he believes that an acre of land cannot be cultivated for a smaller sum, even by very excellent ma- nagement. Notwithstanding such heavy ex- pences, the crops of lucern have, in every case, been found adequate to them, so as to answer exceed- ingly well; and Mr. Young is of opinion, that if the value of the food be estimated by the mainten- ance of cattle per week, it will pay nearly cent, per cent. The first use of this beneficial plant is that of soiling horses in the stable : for this purpose it is pecu- liarl}'- advantageous ; few other ar- ticles of food agreeing so well with those animals. It is likewise emi- nently adapted to the soiling of working oxen, co^s, young cattle, and even hogs, in a farm-yard, In short, IMr. Young conceives lu- cern to be well calculated for fat- tening oxen, though it has never been tried with such des'ign. Far- ther, as hogs do not bite so closely