[180] I have now a great many single _St. Foin_ Plants in my Fields, that are near Thirty Years of Age, and yet seem as young and vigorous as ever; and yet it is common for thick _St. Foin_ to wear out in Nine or Ten Years, and in poor Land much sooner, if not often manured by _Soot_, _Peat-Ash_, or _Coal-Ash_. They who _sow_ Eight or Ten Bushels of good Seed on an Acre, in a good Season, among their Corn, with Intent that by its Thickness it should kill other Grass, reduce their _St. Foin_ almost to that poor Condition I have seen it in, where it grows naturally wild without sowing or Tillage, upon the _Calabrian_ Hills near _Croto_: It makes there such a despicable Appearance, that one would wonder how any body should have taken it in their Head to propagate so unpromising a Plant; and yet there has scarce been an Exotic brought to _England_ in this or the last Age, capable of making a greater or more general Improvement, were it duly cultivated. Some think the _Cytisus_ would exceed it; but I am afraid the Labour of shearing those Shrubs by the Hands of _English_ Servants, would cost too much of its Profit. _Luserne_, requiring more Culture, and being much more difficult to be fitted with a proper Soil, never can be so general as _St. Foin_. But now let us consider the best Methods of ordering _St. Foin_ for Hay and Seed. The Profit of _St. Foin_ Fields, arising from either of these Ways, is a great Advantage to their Owner, above that of natural Meadows; for, if Meadow-hay cannot have good Weather to be cut in its Season, it can serve for little other Use than as Dung, and yet the Expence of mowing it, and carrying it off must not be omitted. But if there be not Weather to cut _St. Foin_ before blossoming, we may expect it till in Flower, or may stay till the Blossoms are off; and if it still rain on, may stand for Seed, and turn to as good Account as any of the former: So that it has Four Chances to One of the Meadow. The elevated, but not mountainous, Situation of the dry Land whereon _St. Foin_ is mostly planted, renders it so commodious for making of Hay, that it escapes there the Injury of Weather, when Hay in low Meadows is utterly spoil’d. On the high Ground the Wind will dry more in an Hour, than on the Meadows in a whole Day. The Sun too has a more benign Influence above, and sends off the Dew about Two Hours earlier in the Morning, and holds it up as much longer in the Evening. By these Advantages the _St. Foin_ has the more Time to dry, and is made with half the Expence of Meadow-hay. But before the Manner of making it be describ’d, the proper Time of cutting it ought to be determin’d; and upon that depend the Degrees of its Excellence (besides upon the Weather, which is not in our Power); for tho’ all Sorts of this Hay, if well made, be good, yet there is a vast Difference and Variety in them.