LUCERNE-GROWING.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XII, Issue 4, 20 April 1916, Page 285

LUCERNE-GROWING.

A CANTERBURY OBJECT-LESSON.

A remarkable example of the value of lucerne as a fodder crop, and its adaptability and productiveness under most unfavourable conditions, has been furnished during the past season on the farm of the School for. the Deaf, at Sumner, near Christchurch. An account of how, with bare grass - paddocks, the half-dozen cows of the institution were kept in good condition and yield during a

droughty spell of four months and a half by means of half an acre of lucerne growing practically on sand is contributed below by Mr. J. E. Stevens, Director of the School. The majority of dairymen and other farmers in Canterburymen depending in summer on grass, with perhaps some of the commoner forage —have had such a hard experience this past season that no excuse is needed to point a moral from this Sumner object-lesson. Dealing first with the establishment of the lucerne plot Mr. Stevens says, —

“ Our first trial in lucerne-growing was made in the autumn of 1908, when we sowed down a quarter-acre, which germinated well,

but which was soon smothered with weeds. In the following spring the same plot of ground was prepared again, to see if better results could be obtained at that season of the year. The lucerne again germinated well, but so . did . the fat-hen, and the result was again a failure. The plot was put back into grass, and nothing further was done in the way of lucerne-growing until the spring of 1913. Then, on the advice of officers of the Department of Agriculture and following out their instructions to the letter, we selected for a further experiment the most worthless piece of ground on the School farm, a quarter-acre of sand hummocks covered by a very thin coating of soil. This area was levelled, what soil there was being kept on the surface, and a dressing of 4 cwt. of lime applied. The seed was sown, in rows 15 in. apart, not . broadcast as in our previous experiments. The seed germinated well, and when the rows could be easily distinguished the hoe and the Planet Junior cultivator were kept going between them. When the crop was about 6 in. or 8 in. high it was cut and left on the ground for a mulch. After that, beyond resowing one or two bare patches, we had no. further trouble. The following spring, 1914, .we increased the size of .the plot to . a little less than half an acre, and it is now well established. With both these sowings inoculated soil was used.

“ As showing the value of lucerne as a fodder crop, I may say that' the past year was .the driest we have ever experienced, and, in consequence, from the beginning of October until the middle of February, when the rains came, our paddocks were almost devoid of grass. Yet during , the whole of that time we were able, with our lucerne as almost their only feed, to keep our six cows in splendid condition. During that time four cuts were taken from the plot, each averaging 3 ft. in length. A fifth cut was made in March. This crop is shown in the photograph, which, however, does not give as good a representation of it as might have been the case, for, apart from the lucerne being about ten . days off its full growth, the recent rain had made it lie down to some extent. As indicated, the other four crops were much higher when cut. No manure was used, and -the land has not been irrigated. The plot has been kept scrupulously free from weeds by regular cultivation between the rows, and this has been, I think, the main reason why the growth has been so good.

“ This season we are laying down a further area in lucerne, and are experimenting with nine varieties of seed supplied by the Department of Agriculture viz., Turkestan, Peruvian, Poitou, Provence, Russian, Spanish, Dryland, Hungarian, and Arabian."