THE CULTIVATION OF LUCERNE

Otago Witness, Issue 3160, 7 October 1914, Page 13

THE CULTIVATION OF LUCERNE

MANURIAL REQUIREMENTS. Lucerne is a very valuable fodder plant, which could with advantage to agriculture in general be more widely cultivated. A lucerne field, if on suitable soil and properly cultivated, .should last 10 years or more, but requires for its maintenance a dressing every second or third year of phosphate, and frequently, according to the character of the land, of potash. It is a crop which, supplying a large bulk of nourishing fodder, is becoming of greater relative importance in view of the improved prospect of cattle-breeding and milk-produc-tion. The first condition for the economic production of more flesh and milk is fodder, both plentiful and nourishing. This is supplied by a good crop of lucerne. In favourable seasons the crop yields early in the spring a welcome supply of green food for horses and cattle, and this green stuff has a high food value, rich in albuminoids and fat, as shown by Kellner’s figures. Lucerne hay approaches in feeding value good meadow hay. Kellner puts its value, when the crop is cut at the beginning of the flowering stage, compared with good meadow and clover hay, as follows: per 1001 b s. d. Meadow hay, good quality .. .. 3 3 Clover hay, good quality 3 0 Lucerne hay, good quality .. .. 210 Moreover, lucerne has the advantage of being a great soil-improver. Its deep, penetrating roots go far into the soil, and its power of storing up nitrogen enrich the soil in this expensive constituent. The enrichment and general improvement of the soil is evidenced by the growth of the crops following a lucerne crop. —Manurial Requirements.— The most important factor in the maintenance of a lucerne field is, without doubt, a plentiful supply of suitable plant nourishment. On this point there are some instructive hints in a little pamphlet by Professor Wagner on “Lucerne-growing.” —No Direct Dressings of Nitrogen.— Every farmer knows that nitrogen stimulates the development of grass plants, and this has to be avoided on a lucerne field; therefore,, as a matter of principle, avoid direct applications of nitrogenous manures, such as farmyard manure, composts, urine, nitrate of soda, etc. Only in exceptional cases, when the soil is impoverished in nitrogen, should a little nitrogenous material be applied to start the growth of the crop, until it is sufficiently developed to form the root nodules, and thus enabled to collect its own necessary supply from the atmosphere. Such a case is exceptional, because the crop should not be grown on poor nitrogen-hungry soils. Therefore, putting nitrogen on one side, what are the manurial substances which should.be applied? - —Lime.— As the most indispensable we should put lime; it has been proved that there is a direct connection between the amount of lime fin the soil and the albuminoids in the hay if made from lucerne and clover. ,So that unless the land is known to bo rich in lime, a dressing of this substance is essential. Quicklime is the most suitable for heavy, cold land, and carbonate of lime for lands of a light, dry character. The dressings should be liberal; a ton of quicklime or two tons of carbonate of lime is not too much. Gypsum used to be a favourite application, and it is, perhaps, a pity that the practice of using it has become less common. —Phosphate.— | The form of phosphatic fertiliser most appropriate for lucerne is probably basic slag, and it should be supplied in liberal quantities. The more phosphate is given to the plant the more it will assimilate up to a certain measure. In this way the fodder produced is enriched in phosphate of lime, w'hich is an important factor. The great value of fodder rich in phosphate of linie for young animals, calf-bearing cows, and dairy cows is so -well known that it need not be insisted on. The following typical case may, however, be mentioned: A well-known French breeder, working in association with a scientist, made an experiment with 12 milch cows. The cows received phosphate of lime in the form of bone meal. Their solid and fluid excrements were analysed before the experiment began and again eight days after the experiment had been started. It showed that no trace of the extra phosphate of lime had been assimilated, but had ail been rejected in the exeremental matter. Afterwards an experiment with lucerne was made. A field of 25 acres was selected, half left unmanured and half manured with phosphate of potash. Analysis of the lucerne hay showed that the port’on grown on the manured soil was considerably richer in phosphate. Continuing the experiment by feeding cows with the hay from the manured and unmanured land, it was found that the milk of the cows fed on the hay from the manured land was correspondingly richer in phosphate. The conclusion derived from this interesting experiment is clear. In order to supply phosphate of lime to 'v

the animal, the best and most natural way is to enrich the fodder in that constituent; tho animals then assimilate it naturally. —Potash. — The lucerne plant requires an ample supply of potash. Even on heavy soils, naturally rich in this constituent, an add t'onal supply is usually advisable, because the stock of soil potash is not available in sufficient quantity to sat.sty tho great needs of the crop. Kainit is a useful form of potash for the purpose; it associates well with basic - slag; the lime in the slag renders innocuous the ac.'cl in the kainit, and on tho other hand the acids in tho kainit help to make tho phosphate of the slag more quickly effective.—Mark Lane Express, AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS. Referring to the resolution passed at the recent dominion conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, urging ti at the attention of tho Stock Department be drawn to the section compelling owners to have all sheep dipped prior to the first day of May in each year with a view to having the said section carried into effect the Minister of Agriculture has forwarded tho following reply:—The department has always been keenly alive to tho necessity of carrying out this section. Unless in cases where a farmer applies for a short extension, as provided under the Act, it has been the rule to prosecute any person who rnay have failed to dip his sheep within the prescribed dipping season. I have again brought it under the notice of my officers, and issued instruction that strict compliance with tho law regarding- dipping mist be insisted upon.” Potato growers have now come to tho conclusion (says the Killinchy correspondent of tho Christchurch Press) that the market is past all hope of recovery, and in consequence have been feeding them to stock for the past week or two. It is not an easy matter to find out correctly the amount of potatoes unsold throughout the various districts, but it can be safely said that hundreds of tons remain in pits towards the Stony Gully and Southbridge to Little Rakaia district. In several cases farmers holding the crop of 10 acres upwards sold only a few tons at first, preferring to pit than take tho price offered-. Complaints have reached the Western Star of damage done by stray dogs to ewes in various parts of tho district. The farmers have enough work to do to look after their flocks without being annoyed by stray mongrels. A Wanaka correspondent writes that during the cold storm on Saturday, 28th ult., much enow fell on the hills, with the result that the mortality among new-born lambs was very heavy. On one station it is said 50 per cent, of the lambs born to date are dead. At the annual meeting of the Tapanui Farmers’ Club, Mr M. Ferguson, tho president, being in the chair, the balance sheetsubmitted showed a credit balance of £l7 10s. The holding of tho show in tho autumn had resulted in record entries being received. Mr Ml M'Auley was elected president, Mr N. M'Ritchie vice-president. Mr D. M'Duff as auditor. Messrs D. Fleming, I. D. Revie, Goo. Stuart, R. A. Rodger, and J. Edgar wore elected to the vacancies on the committcp. Mr W. R. Quin con sented to act as secretary until one was appointed. After discussion it was decided to hold the next show about the same time

as last year. A motion to raise the subscription to £1 was lost. The Otago A. and P. Society’s Metropolitan Show will be held on the 25th and £6th November. Tahuna Park, so Jong occupied by a section of the Expeditionary Force, is being got into order again, and should bo in fine trim for the Summer Show. “It docs not pay to grow wheat m Now Zealand at less than ,4s per bushel,” said Mr Talbot at the meeting of shareholders of the C.F.C. Association on Saturday, at Timaru.