LUCERNAE GROWING

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LII, Issue 8616, 13 June 1924, Page 5 (Supplement)

LUCERNAE GROWING

Lucerne is called the king of iuddu crops. 'I hat it thrives in the Tauratify district Ims been demoastraUd bey end doubt. Many fanners who grow it are convinced that with its aid dairy herds can be depended upon tu 'gnv very satisfactory returns, irrespective of whether the summer is dry or wet However, it is not grown extensively enough. One of the largest growers ol lucerne hereabouts i.s Mr H. G. Lever, of Otumoetai, who has long since passed tho experimental stage in connection with the production of this fodder. Recently a Bay of Plenty Times representative visited Mr Lever’s farm and obtained first-hand information concerning tho growing of the crop. About twelve years ago Mr Lover purchased the Oreamii property, on the western end of Otumoetai Peninsula, after having had the. benefit of practical fanning experience with Mr R. I). B. Mela>an, of Marackakaho, Hawke’s Bay, ami Air J. Grigg, of Longhead), Canterbury. “While in the Hawke’s Bay district Mr Lever had the opportunity

of judging the great feeding value of lucerne, and in bis second year of occupation of the Otumoetai property be prepared an area of three acres and planted it in Marlborough lucerne. He was so pleased with Hie results that he has steadily extended the area, until to-day he has about eighteen acres of that crop. The first paddock "I three acres has been down for eleven years, and it has flourished during that period. This season it yielded five crops up till March iiO, and since then has been grazed by the dairy cows. The stand is a. beautiful one and as the result of discing and topdressing in tile winter, tlie.ro is not a weed or any grass growth in this paddock. On the road frontage is another fine paddock of five acres, which has yielded five crops up till March 10, and is now Iteiug used for grazing. This paddock has :l>een planted for about five

years and is in the same excellent heart as the hast paddock. On the north-western portion of the farm is another paddock of three acres from whiclj three crops were taken op till last Christmas. Farlv in the new year there was a dry spell of some, weeks and Mr Lover placed the herd of twen-ty-one cows (lit this paddock and the adjoining grass area, and it has been used far grazing since, and will he until July or August next, when it will undergo the cleaning process. Nearby is a paddock of about seven acres, which was planted in November, 1922, and is, perhaps, the best stand of lucerne in this district, ii not in the Bay of Plenty. Five crops were harvested from this paddock this season up to the end of February. Some of those crops were magnificent and the growth of stalk was well over two feet. From February until the Spring this paddock will he used for fattening sheep. All the lucerne paddocks now present a rich, green appearance and are absolutely free of weeds or grass growth, thus giving proof of the value of cleaning operations and top-dressing the stands in the winter. Tins work is carried out regularly Onco u Asked as to the best method to he followed in preparing for the establishment of lucerne, Mr Lever replied that it was best to crop the land, gi'>»g da liberal application of fertiliser, fm‘ two seasons in order to aerate the soil. He strongly recommended ploughing as deeply as* possible for these t'io crops so as to pulverise', the subsoil and make it available for plant food. He favoured planting a catch crop of Cape ’liarley in April of the second season with a dressing of a ton oi carbonate of lime to the acre. Ho had not found it necessary to use inoculated soil, which goes to prove that the land is a good habitat for lucerne. It will thus be ■seen that up to this stage his land has received generous treatment by the use of fertilizers and lime and deep cultivation. “Don’t he afraid of deep ploughing.” emphasised Air Lever. From June to Octoljer the Cape lu.rley is grazed, and is a valuable feed tor milking cow.s. During October the liual preparation is made tor the sowing ol the lucerne seed. Ihe laud is ploughed six indies deep, followed by two l 'i three operations by the scarifier so a> to prepare a good seed bed. Lh° Cambridge roller is then applied. Ihen

PRACTICAL HINTS BY SUCCESSFUL FARMER

follows the sowing of tile seed. Mr Lcvvr broadcasts the .seed „ith the drill and also puts the fertilizer- three cwt ol bonedust and two cwt of superphosphate to the acre--through the brill. Tli c drilling R followed by chain Inn rowing ami the work coneliule.s with the cwoiuAtion .1 the held u it), t he v roller. Mr Lever, in reply to question.--, said he did not fear dry spells' of weather for his dairy herd when he had the lucerne paddock-, t,, fall back upon. I lie lucerne that hits '.eon down eleven years has. on the average, yielded live erops per season besides being grazed at various periods by rattle and sheep. He estimates the yield from lucerne at about live tons to the acre per season, lie says this is a conservative estimate, and the quantity eaten by the cattle' and sheep grazed on the paddocks would make a considerable addition to the total yield. If cows are turned on to lucerne and kept on it they are liable to lie “blown." Mr Lever says, however, that this risk can

be avoided by giving the cows access to a grass paddock, which they will travel to of their own volition after .satisfying their appetites on lucerne. He stressed the fact that the man who values his lucerne stand should keep horses off it, as they apparently kill it out. As an illustration Mr Fever pointed out a portion ut a lucerne paddock 'where horses had grazed and there was a very noticeable thinness in the crop, which he attributed to the horses biting it out. Mr Lever was very emphatic in stating that cows and horses fed on lueer-

ne came through the winter iu bettor condition than on any other fodder. His dairy cows are practically wintered on grass and lucerne, supplemented with a few swedes, or mangolds. Hie groat bulk of the winter feed is lucerne hay, the average feeding of this hay I icing about one ton per cow. He does not stack his lucerne, but keeps it iu commodious sheds, which guc- accommodation for a hundred tons. The average carrying capacity ot the farm right through the year is forty head ot grown cattle and eight horses. AH stock arc wintered on the place, 'iho eighteen acres of lucerne are more than .sufficient for their requirements, and Mr Lever is able to supplement ins takings by the sale of a large quantity of lucerne hay. 'Hus is baled q machinery on the farm and sold in lauranga and Auckland. Mr Lever looks back with pleasure on Ins decision 0 go in for lucerne. He regards it greatest factor that he knows or m successful dairying iu this district. 1 he man with a good lucerne stand is independent of dry weather conditions, as when the grass goes off the cows, i placed on the fresh lucerne, will respond splendidly. Mr Lever's mil* cheques during recent years have not fluctuated to any extent and he attributed this mainly to the fact that he is able to supplement the Iced during drv spells with green lucerne. His experience clearly shows that the dairy-

bis capital and labour cannot afford to be without a (substantial lucerne stand, to lucerne and other legumes closely related to it, secure nitrogen from the air. These nodules are colonies of useful bacteria, which supply nitrogen directly to the lucerne plant ami produce healthy green growth. Indirectly nitrogen is added ,to the soil without any cost to the fanner. If 'these nitrogen-fixing bacteria arc not present in adequate numbers in a soil in which

it is intended to sow lucerne they should be added. The usual method used in certain districts is to work into the ground sonic top soil from an old lucerne field. Mr T. H. Paterson, instructor of the Department of Agriculture, Auckland, in commenting on lucerne growing on Mr H. G. Lever's farm, stated it was a, fact that inoculation was not essential on many soils of the Tauranga district. Those soils along the Tauranga harbour whore “black medic’’ tmodicago lupulina) was growing well, did not generally need inoculation. This

ir.au wiio seeks the fullest return for black-seeded elover could he seen growing in the Marlborough district, right along through the Seddon and M ard district and down the coast ol the South island to Kaikonra. These districts. Mr Patterson stated, were ideal for lucerne. On the foreshores of the Tauranga harbour black-medic flourished, and lucerne has been established quite well without adding inoculated soil. Black medic, however, is not widely distributed in the Auckland province, and inoculation: is a necessary preliminary except in the favoured localities referred to.

Monument on the Summit of Mount M.uiaganui 10 mark the- spot where a Beacon Fire was lit cn duly U'lh. 1!)19, to Cenunemcrate Peace. The District owes this lasting monument te the efforts uf -Mr d, (_ . Adams of Tauranga.

Tauranga harbour is destined to rank among the first class ports ol the Dominion. Tauranga lias a Tourist Traffic' League you can write to for information. Tonrauga County possesses three hotter factories-at Tauranga, Te Puke ami Katikati.