anagement of Lucerne Is Important

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 63, Issue 2, 15 August 1941, Page 102

anagement of Lucerne Is Important

- By -

E. G. SMITH,

Fields Instructor, Rangiora.

IN the growing of lucerne the majority of farmers appreciate the importance of careful preparation of a clean, firm seed bed, the use of lime, the use of culture-treated seed, and the fact that seed must not be buried to a depth of more than one inch. What is not so widely understood, however, is the correct subsequent treatment of both the lucerne stand and the material cut from it, and it is the purpose of this article to stress this “management factor,” which is of vital importance if best results are to be obtained. . In the first year, if competition from weeds is . threatening the establishment of the lucerne, the crop should be cut early, but under normal conditions cutting should not begin until the second growth makes its appearance at the base of the majority of the plants. If

the stand is cut at an earlier stage the plants are weakened, while later cutting reduces the number of possible cuts for the season, and at the same time results in the production of stalky hay which has lost much of its leaf and therefore a great part of its nutritive value. | .

Lucerne Silage

Because of adverse weather in the early part of the season the first cut of a lucerne stand is frequently made

into silage. Lucerne is rich in protein, and for this reason it is good practice to add a proportion of grass, as a better balanced fodder is then produced. Subsequent cuts are usually made into hay. The last cut of the .season should be taken sufficiently early to allow some growth to take place before the dormant period. This not only assists root development, but also aids in the checking of weed growth. . In the production of good-quality lucerne hay, cutting x at the' correct stage, as described above, is of first importance, but for best results this must be followed by careful handling of the crop. Modern harvesting methods tend to obviate the use of the' hay fork, but hay cocked with a rake or swept out of windrows is often inferior to that which has been cocked by hand. If the crop is raked into windrows when half-dry and cocked with the fork on ground clear of the windrows, it “makes” in the cock, lifts cleanly, and loses a minimum of leaf. Hay made in this way .is easier to handle either on the stack or at the hay press, and. the increased labour cost is

usually more than offset by the gain from the improved quality of the material. For topdressing, annual applications of lime will give excellent results in most districts, and will go a long way towards enabling the lucerne to combat the invasion of weeds \ successfully. Cultivation promotes growth, but because of damage to plants, it is advisable only when the competition from weeds is threatening the life of the stand. Even then, it should be carried out only during a dry spell, and the cultivator should be fitted with narrow lucerne steels. i

Grazing

Lucerne should not be grazed in its first year, and later grazing should be light. The stand may profitably be grazed in spring to clear up old growth, and in the autumn ■ when, on entering the dormant period, sufficient growth has not been made to allow another cut to be taken. 1 " As cattle are susceptible to “bloat” when grazing lucerne, they must not be turned on the crop while it is wet, and careful initial regulation of the grazing is essential if losses , from this cause are to be eliminated. For. a start, the stock must not be left in the paddock for more than a quarter to half an hour, but after a time they will become accustomed to the new type of feed, and it will be found that they can be left on for an hour or longer without suffering any ill effects. Most dairy farmers, however, have a few cows that are particularly subject to bloat, and these should either be kept off lucerne altogether or watched most carefully. Sheep and horses are close feeders, and should not be permitted to graze lucerne hard. If the stand has been invaded by useful grasses it may be found that the greatest value can be obtained by utilising the area primarily for grazing purposes. Where this is the case, it will be found that the danger from bloat is very much reduced because of the mixed nature of the herbage.

In some cases, stands of lucerne have given good results for thirty years, but if an area lasts for only a third of that time the farmer is well repaid for the work entailed in the. laying down and subsequent care of this most valuable crop.