LUCERNE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3168, 2 December 1914, Page 21

LUCERNE.

The hardy nature of the lucerne plant allows of it establishing itself and flourishing under conditions which would be fatal to most other fodder plants and, in consequence. it may frequently bo found in most unexpected situations putting forth an abundance of green shoots and flowering freely in the driest of seasons, in marked contrast to the surrounding herbage. The past summer has been a very dry one; but a self-sown patch of lucerne on the side of the steep railway cutting close to Jolimont station, has made fine growth. The bank hero extends to some 18ft above the rails; and the lucerne is from sft to Bft from the bottom. How the seed came there is a matter for conjecture but the result bears indisputable testimony to the fact that lucerne is not a tender plant, and that it requires more than ordinarily dry weather to stop its growth. For years past there have been several fine stools of lucerne growing in an equally dry situation at the top of the railway cutting above the Camberwell station. These are too scattered to show effectively in a photograph; but the stand they have made through all weathers is striking evidence of the great vitality of this fodder plant; and, even after the surrounding dry grass has been burned off in clearing up along the line each year, the lucerne will bo seen shooting to some 18in high, and then flowering and seeding. Many other instances could be given of this plant doing well under most adverse conditions, not only in the suburbs, but in many of the outlying districts; and if the_ object-lessons thus furnished were more widely known, they would do much towards dispelling the too-com-monly held opinion that lucerne is a difficult crop to grow\ The real fact is that w r e have no hardier fodder plant; and none that will give a better return for the little labour required in its cultivation. —Journal of Agriculture, Victoria.