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. The natural Poorness of an hot Gravel may be compensated by Dung, more Heat, and the Benefit of the Hoe. The natural Richness of the other sorts of Land being increased by hoeing and cleansing it from Grass, Luserne will thrive therein with the less Heat; for what the Soil wants of one of these Two Qualities, must be made up with the other; and it has grown high in hoed rich Ground at _Christmas_, when that in Land of an hotter Nature, but poorer, has not been able to peep out, for want of more Nourishment: So, if rich Land be clayey, very wet and cold, tho’ very rich, it requires much Heat, for as high a Growth of Luserne at _Midsummer_. The best Season of planting it in _England_ is in _April_, after the Danger of Frost is over; for a small Frost will destroy the whole Crop, when the Plants first appear; and too much Wet, with cold Weather, will rot the Seeds in the Ground; so that about the Middle of _April_ may be generally esteemed as the best Season for sowing this Seed. The hoed Plants of Luserne having larger Roots, and yielding more Crops than those of St. Foin, Reason seems to require, that the Number of the former be less.