THE RURAL WORLD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 581, 2 July 1913, Page 7

THE RURAL WORLD.

INOCULATED SOIL. ITS EFFICACY WHEN TAKEN FROM YEAR-OLD LUCERNE PLOT \n interesting experiment, to test the c-fn\scy of inoculated soil when taken 'Worn a year-ula iueerne plot was initiated or. a small plot of lucerne Eav.i! on the face of ths Big Hill paddock at Ruaicnra Farm of Instruction in last. ■ The. plot waa divided into three equal portions—a non-inoculated plot, u plot inoculated with one year old, soil, an! another with a soil in which lucerne bad been growing for three years. For some Urns there was no apparent difference in the three plots but, at the data of writing (A-ril 6th) the noninoculated plot in comparison with the inoculated plots, is "> showing a .decided yellowness in colour, while both inoculated plots look exceedingly healthy, being a bright dark green, the plot inoculated with one year old soil being quite as healthy as that inoculated with three year old soil. The result is of-considerable importance, as up to the present there was a great deal of uncertainty on this matter. The non-inoculated plot occupied the centre position, so that there could be no possibility of contact between the two inoculated nlotß. Judging from other similar, experiments, however, it would seem as if the bacteria were almost non-motile. The lucerne pic-, in question is growing on pure red clay. The plot in question received a liberal dressing of carbonate of limrfollowed by a liberal dressing of equal parts of Seychelles Island guano and basic slag. The splendid results from such land ars extremely encouraging. Farmers intending to sow lucerne on similar soil, says'" Mr Primrose McConnell in the Journal of Agriculture, would do well to sow a small piot only. in the first instance; applying double quantity of inoculated soil. At the end of twevle months they would have sufficient soil to inoculate tha whole farm, if required.

A FEEDING EXPERIMENT. Experiments carried out for the University of Wisconsin afford evidence in favour of the conclusion brought into prominence that the actual feeding value of a ration cannot be precisely deduced from a knowledge of proportions of digestible abu-ninoids and strach. The rations of t>.*ee out of four groups "of heifer calves were severally restricted to the products of a single species of plant, lot 1 being fed exclusively upon the products of maize, lot 2on those of wheat, and lot 3 on those of oats, wbil i lot 4 was supplied with a mixture of the three diets. The rations were given for two years, and were subsequently readjusted during an equal period. The order of advantage throughout th« trials, including the changes from one ration to another, after tha.two years, were oits, mixed diet, wheat. The wheat fed animals had staring coats and a gaunt appearance, while those fed.on maize had smooth coats and '-vere fuller through the barrel than the others. These results were noticed when the diets were changed, fo that the maizefedl animals hi.J ..hsat, and vice versa. The wheat diet also showed bad results when the heifers bred calves which they dropped prematurely. The calves averaged only 461b at birth, against 731b for the offspring of maize fed mothers.