LUCERNE GROWING.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLII, Issue 1808, 5 May 1921, Page 7

LUCERNE GROWING.

POSSIBILITIES IN CANTERBURY. COMPETITIONS FOR FARMERS. The virtues of lucerne as a farm crop were extolled at a public meeting held on. Saturday night under the auspices of the Canterbury Lucerne Committee. It was decided to support the committee in approaching citizens to provide funds for.lucerne growing competitions. A highly effective display confronted the audience in the Chamber of Commerce hall. In front of the dais, on the dais, and on the wall*, prosperous looking bundles of lucerne hay, long lucerne roots, and arresting charts were grouped. Three display boards were given to exhibits of poor roots resulting from defective cultivation. One particularly interesting exhibit consisted of bundles of lucerne end on end, reaching from the dais almost to the roof. It had been grown at the School for the Deaf, Sumner, and represented the total height of the growths during 1916 season It had been grown, without manure or irrigation. Mr 11. D. Acland, who presided, spoke of the need for greater production. The main thing was to know how to do it, he said. In Denmark lucerne had enormously increased the productivity of the country. "I am one who is not anxious to see the growth of large industrial ceittres in New Zealand," said Mr Acland. "What I.have seen of that? sort of "civilisation in other parts of the world does not appeal to me at all. I believe lucerne would enable that to be eliminated to a large extent, and enable us to get a much larger population in the country districts." Mr A. Macpherson said that few lands in Canterbury were unsuitable to the successful growth of lucerne. It was one of the most easily grown crops. He had never yet known lucerne to fail, although he had seen frequently cases of failure on the part of the farmer, as the result of faulty cultivation. In Taranaki many farmers had made great advancement with the aid of lucerne. They eared neither for drought nor storms—lucerne grew independent of them. It was desired to stir up Canterbury farmers to the possibilities of the plants Experimental plots had been established in various parts of Canterbury, and some excellent results had -been obtained. 'Lucerne had been grown on the Port Hills, with gw>at success. The whole of the Port Hills could produce lucerne. At New Brighton it had produced a return of £32 15/2 each acre. UTuccrne grown in sand at the Bromley School last year had reached a height of 15 feet, placing the growths of the crops during the year one on top of the other. The roots of lucerne had been known.- to go as deep as 129 feet. The result of lucerne growing at the Paparua Prison farm, on very stony ground, was that land which in 'its original state was valued at £3 an acre, and had a carrying capacity of one slieep to each five acres, was enabled to carry 4.48 sheep an acre, or to look at it another way, carried 22.40 in place of one sheep, to five acres. If allowed to grow properly lucerne would strike deeper and deeper, and eventually draw nourishment from surface soil hardly at all. The big roots on exhibition had been taken from a plot near shingle'pits by Lincoln Road. They had penetrated fifteen feet through the shingle.' The plant was about ten years old. A great many farmers failed because they used fertiliser, as was shown by the exhibits of poor growths, taken from Canterbury farms where fertiliser had been used. Lucerne would stand GO degrees of frost without injury. The return if one plant was grown to every squaro yard in an acre, and produced as much as one of- the exhibits of lucerne hay would be £ISS 16/-, for two crops off the acre. On a farm taken over in North Canterbury by Mr Heasley, a. block of twenty-three acres of lucerne had been continuously grazed by 500 sheep, or at the rate of twentytwo sheep to each acre. This number had been reduced to 205, or 11} sheep to the acre, and the growth of lucerne was so strong that it was beyond the power of the sheep to keep it down. Mr G. T. Booth said that the soil was not the all important factor in production that people were apt to think it. The main function of the soil was 4o find foothold for plants. The main actor in production Avas the cultivation that was done. That was where a great deal of failure in farming lay. It might be much better to spend in the cultivation of one acre what would ordinarily be spent in cultivating two acres. That should be recognised- by Canterbury people. Flocks and developed soil were not what they should be. There was no more serious problem than the increasing of New Zealand's exports. That was the only way out of the present financial difficulty. The land must be made to produce more, and that could only be done by better cultivation. He personally knew little about lucerne, but he had seen a great many very successful crops. He suggested that the committee might very well link up with the Canterbury Progress League for tho development; of lucerne growing. Mr A. W. Beaven also spoke of the Capabilities of lucerne. Mr J. Longton moved:—"That this meeting heartily supports the Lucerne Campaign Committee in approaching the citizens of Christchurch and surrounding districts to provide funds for lucerne growing competitions, with a view of developing the growing of this valuable plant over large areas of our province." lie mentioned that the committee intended instituting competitions throughout Canterbury. They would be confined to areas of about ten acres and over. Prize money would be offered to induce farmers to take a keen interest in the cultivation of the plant. By this means it was hoped to bring large areas into lucerne cultivation throughout Canterbury.

.Mr I'. Trolove seconded the motion, lie said that lucerne was probably one of the most important crops which would be grown in Canterbury in the future.

The motion -was carried unanimously