INOCULATING LUCERNE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18500, 22 February 1930, Page 14 (Supplement)

INOCULATING LUCERNE.

CULTIVATION METHODS. * 1 ESTABLISHING A STAND. < 1 An interesting demonstration show- ' ing the effect of inoculating, lucerne, is to be seen on the farm of Mr S. Thomas, of Kio Kio, Where a crop has ‘ been inoculated either with soil from an old lucerne stand or with culture : supplied by the Department of Agri--1 culture, says the “New Zealand Herald.” The inoculated lucerne is healthy and vigorous, but where the seed received no inoculation there is either no lucerne or the plants are sickly and stunted. Referring to Mr Thomas’ experiment, Mr J. W. Woodcock, Government Agricultural Inspector at Hamilton, stated that it had been claimed in some quarters that lucerne inoculation was not needed. He contended, however, that as a lucerne crop was both difficult and expensive to establish, it paid jto inoculate. Young crops in the Waikato had done remarkably well this | season, but unfortunately weed growth I had" been prolific. j He suggested that the first cut of lucerne should be made before the an- ! nual weeds went to seed and that the I cut material should be left on the (ground to mulch. The exact time of J cutting should be determined by the appearance of the young shoots at the I base of the plants and this was generally coincident with the flowering of : the lucerne. Cutting too early in the ! first year had a tendency to weaken the stand. Annual weeds which were so plentiful in the crops this season ! would. do no greater harm if the luj cerne were allowed to form the shoots !at the base. Tests showed that while j lucerne sown without inoculation might appear to thrive in the first season, the ' crop felt the need for the culture in j the second season. ! | Referring to methods of establishing 1 lucerne crops, Mr Woodcock said lu- ■ | cerne thrived best in a deep alluvial - j soil with a low permanent water level, i i Given suitable conditions of soil, cli- | mate, and careful treatment, the crop ■ I was truly perennial. It usually did ) best when the land was ploughed * J straight out of grass. * Since lucerne was a permanent and 7 comparatively expensive crop to establish previous cultivation should be careful and thorough. After grass, the land should be ploughed in the late winter or early spring to allow plenty of time for the turf to. rot before sowing the crop. The field would be bet- ’ j ter for a thorough cultivation with the * spring-toothed cultivator. Lime was 3 | often applied before the last cultiva- ’ tion and harrowed in. After a medium 7 : tilth had been obtained the roller 5 ; should be used. 7 The seed bed should be firm and fine t and should be rolled immediately bee fore drilling. It was usual to apply B from lOcwt. to one ton of lime per acre t to the cultivated land before sowing 1 and about 3cwt. of phosphatic manure t with the seed. Basic slag or a mixture e of equal parts of super and lime was s recommended. The super and lime should be prepared a week before sowg ing. Mr Woodcock said Marlborough and s j Hunter River seed were the most gen- _ : erally successful varieties in the WaiI kato, and from 151 b. to 181 b. with a " germination of 80 per cent., should be d | sown per acre. d j Mr Woodcock went on to describe d methods of inoculation. He suggested k that 4cwt. of soil from an old lucerne , e stand should be distributed per acre. , e The soil should be distributed on a dull , e day or before evening and disced or*t harrowed in. Another method was to ie mix the seed with lewt. of inoculated n soil together with lime and manure and ,e drill. A third method was to use culie ture supplied by the Agricultural Dei- partment or by proprietary firms. No- > vember was the correct time to sow. id Intercultivation and top-dressing the stand once a year were desirable. I