LUCERNE AND FIRES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 235, 17 September 1934, Page 10

LUCERNE AND FIRES

Research in England

Lucerne cultivation forms the most important work carried ou by the Bacteriological Department of the Kothamsted Experimental Station. Most parts of England were previously unsuitable lor growing lucerne, owing to the absence of the appropriate bacteria in the soil. Now, however, a system of inoculating seeds of lucerne and clover has been devised and put on a commercial basis, with tho result that lucerne is now growing on a good many wide-separated areas. Due interesting point discovered by the scientists was that the bacteria in the soil, which have a mobile period, enter the roots through tho hairs, but they cannot enter except at a stage when the hairs are twisted. It was found that a soil rich in nitrates prevents the twisting of the hairs, and tho nodule-forming bacteria could not enter and do their work. Another development in regard to lucerne has a special New Zealand interest. Writing in tho Journal of the Department of Agriculture of New Zealand in 1924, Air F. W. Greenwood, an instructor of the department, mentioned tho value of lucerne as a firebreak. He described a case in which a lire threatened to sweep miles of grassland and destroy much valuable harvested crop. Thanks to a lucerne field which intervened, however, it was possible to keep tho tire under ciontrol. Mr Greenwood went on to suggest that where grass fires are liable to occur, protection belts of lucerne should be established on certain points. )r. Hugh Nicol, assistant bactenolog-

Ist at Kothamsted, recently came across this statement, and ho has brought it to the notice of those who are likely to be interested in the subject in this country.

Dr. Nicol says that if lucerne was able to check a fire already raging, its value for smothering sparks from railway engines needed no stressing. The utility of lucerne as a tire-arrester was due to its unusually deep-rooting habit, which, by enabling the plant to obtain and make us of the perennial subsoil moisture isured that a crop remained green d sappy throughout tho longest d dit. ,