I formerly lived some Years in Languedoc, where are many Hundred Acres of Luserne; and I never could find a very large Plant amongst it, unless in such Pieces as had been plowed up, tilled, and sown with Corn: Here indeed those Plants that remained (as always some would do) grew to an extraordinary Bulk; and One of those single tilled Plants did seem to produce a greater Quantity of Stalks, than Twenty of such as had not been plowed up; and as there were no large Plants amongst the unplowed, so there were no small amongst the plowed ones. The same thing has been observed in all other Places where Luserne has been plowed[198].
[198]This Plowing is a Hoeing to the Luserne.
And in Wiltshire several Grounds of it stood some Years without ever coming to a Substance to be of any Value, tho’ the Land was whitish, and scarce any Grass appeared amongst the Luserne; and therefore its Poorness was thought to proceed from the Soil’s being improper; but when it had been broken up, and sown several Years with Corn, and afterwards lain down with St. Foin, all the Luserne-plants which remained (and they were many) grew large and strong, shooting up a Yard in Height soon after the St. Foin was cut; and if there had been a competent Number of them undestroyed by the Plough, they would have yielded Crops of an extraordinary Value, where before Plowing it grew but few Inches above the Ground.
It seems that in this sort of Land the Earth grows stale, ere the Luserne arrives at a Tenth Part of its Stature: But this is most remarkable, that Tillage transforms those Luserne-plants from Dwarfs to Giants; and then they are able to contend with, if not conquer, so strong Plants as St. Foin is, tho’ before Plowing they were unable to resist the Depredations of a few hairy Spires of Grass.
Since Tillage can thus recover Luserne, after it has long languished in the lowest Ebb of Life, and restore it to Health, Youth, and Vigour, and augment its Stature even after it has passed the Age of its full Growth; to what Bulk would it arrive, regularly planted, and hoed from its Infancy to Maturity without any Check to stint it!
We can never know how poor a Soil will bear this Plant, unless it be tried by the Hoeing Culture.
For ’tis wondrous how so great a Man as Dr. Woodward should imagine, that Difference of Soil should be the Reason why Apples in Herefordshire, and Cherries in Kent, succeed better than in other Places, when in truth they are seen to prosper as well almost all over England, where planted, cultivated, and preserved.
I believe Plants are more altered as to their Growth, by being cultivated or not, than by Change of Climates differing in very many Degrees of Latitude. I say, in their Growth, not always in their Fruit; for tho’ a Peach-tree, well cultivated in a Standard, will grow here vigorously, and be very beautiful; yet its Fruit will be of little Value, unless it be planted against a good Wall: So Luserne, unless cultivated upon a well exposed Gravel, will yield little Seed in England.
The Soil to plant it on is either an hot Gravel, a very rich dry Sand, or some other rich warm Land, that has not an under Stratum of Clay, nor is too near the Springs of Water; for, if the Earth below be of a cold Nature, which I take to be occasioned by its holding of Water, the Luserne will not long prosper therein, of whatever Sort the upper Stratum of Earth may be: This may be guessed at by the Vegetables a Soil naturally produces, as Fern, and the like; which, Mr. Evelyn observes, do indicate a Soil subject to Extremities of Heat and Cold; and condemns such a Soil as accursed. I agree to that Sentence, as far as relates to Cold; but am not satisfied of its abounding with Heat; and I am sure I know some Land very subject to Fern, which is very far from being barren, when well cultivated, and well suited with Vegetables; but, from among these, Luserne must be excluded.
Luserne in hot Countries grows best near Rivers, where its Roots reach the Water, which helps to mitigate the excessive Heat of the Climate; but here the Heats are so moderate, that if Luserne-roots are in Water (for ’tis that that makes Earth cold) it diminishes too much the just Proportion of Heat, which Luserne requires.