THE VALUE OF LUCERNE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8462, 30 May 1916, Page 7

THE VALUE OF LUCERNE.

At a conference of the American dairy institutes, held during tne i\ational Dairy Sluiw, Chicago, in JNoveinbe r last, quo of tho resolutions come to was upon tho value of lucerne, it was agreed that: — Lucerne will produce more digestible nutrients per acre.than any other agricultural crop. A yield o! lour tons of lucerne hay per acre produces about 4001b of digestible nutrients, 8301b of which are digestible protein. iVLaize comes next to lucerne in the production of nutrients for the cow. v\n acre yielding 10 tons of green maize will produce about 34001b of digestible nutrients. No crops complement each other better for feeding the dairy cow j than maize and lucerne. The maize I put into the .silo furnishes the succulence for the cow, and a large amount of boat-producing elements. Lucerne .provides the dry roughago. ;uul is rich in the element protein which is so necessary to the growing animal .and the cow producing milk. In short, lucerne and niaiau have a productive 'feeding value that cannot be excelled by any other combination of roughage grown on the farm. When lucerne is used properly in rotation it is beneficial to the soil. The foregoing has been thoroughly discussed-by men'who are well informed as to the value of lucerne and maize as feeds for dairy •cows, the preparation ,of' the soil for growing lucerne, and the relative a mounts of digestible nutrients produced by lucerne- and maize compared with wheat, oats, and many other crops.