FARMING NOTES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 109, 12 January 1940, Page 3

FARMING NOTES

AUTUMN GROWING OF LUCERNE (By C. R. Taylor, Department of Agriculture, Whakatane). It is customary in most parts of New Zealand to sow lucerne in the spring but in many locations such for instance, tlu- Auckland Province really excellent results can be obtained by the sowing of this most valuable fodder crop in the autumn. Generally speaking it will be found that where tlie autumn sowing of clovers is a sound practice lucerne also can be established successfully provided, of course, that soil conditions suit the crop. In the Eastern Bay of Plenty there are a number of excellent autumn sown lucerne stands and, as I a matter of fact, many farmers will not attempt a spring sowing owing to the many difficulties connected with weed control on the one hand, and on the other the hot dry summers that frequently follow almost immediately the sowing of the seed renders establishment a somewhat precarious undertaking. Sowing in March. For the purpose of autumn sowing the seed should be sown early in March in order to secure plants that are w r ell established before the cold winter weather sets in. At time of seeding it is often advantageous to sow in addition a bushel of barley or oats or ten to fifteen lbs Italian Rye Grass to acti as a nurse crop to the young lucerne plants during their first winter. Such a | practice afso ensures freedom from i weeds and a heavy cut or two of green material the following spring. This is usually made into ensilage as frequently the weather conditions so early in the season are not altogether favourable for haymaking. High Yield Per -Ycre. Lucerne is often referred to as i the 'King of Fodder Crops' and richly docs it merit such recognition. Its per acre yield is cxt.emely high, often in the vicinity of six to seven tons of drj* material,, and its foot! value when weli saved, ranks superior to that of the best meadow pasture. In illustration of this it can be stated that in yield and food value the annual production of animal nutriment from, say five acres of lucerne, is equivalent to approximately 25-30 acres of well saved meadow hay. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that many of the great American Republics talk of lucerne (Alfalfa) not in thousands of acres but actually in tens of millions. These people know the undoubted value of lucerne—have known it, in fact, for very many years—and to back up their high admiration of the plant they are still establishing it definitely has merit of the highest order as a foodstuff for our domestic animals and yet we in Now Zealand sadly lag behind many other countries in regard to it of which wc are otherwise agriculturally their peers. The reason for this is probably due to three main causes, namely: 1. Lack of appreciation of the extremely high food value of lucerne. 2. The wealth of pasture growth in a normal season being thought sufficient when conserved as hay and ensilage for all Avinter needs and 3. An unjustified impression among farmers that lucerne is difficult to establish and maintain. Of the three causes mentioned it is believed by the writer that the hist one is principally responsible for the average farmers lack of enthusiasm towards lucerne, and yet lucerne establishment to-day is, under suitable soil and climatic conditions, very little or more difficult, if any, than the sowing of a turnip crop for instance. Difficulties in Early Days. In the early days it is quite admitted that lucerne establishment was, generally speaking, rather an arduous task for then it not infrequently happened that farmers had to cart hundred weights and sometimes tons of innoculated soil from a neighbours lucerne paddock often ■;orac miles away.

Nowadays, however, this same rmount of hactcria is contained in small bottles measuring only ozs. and one has simply to thoroughly mix the contents of the bottle with the lucerne seed according to simple directions and then sow as one would, say, turnip seed. Nothing really could be easier and yet productive of such excellent results. Seed merchants or any branch of the Department of Agriculture would be pleased to secure for farmers the necessary quantity of Ilucerne culture on application and at the same time give details concerning its use. Simple directions arc also attached to the bottle the culture is delivered in. Requirements. The next requirements of lrucerne are (1) A reasonably open and fertile soil and subsoil thereby permitting deep penetration of the long tap root of the plant. (2) A soil reasonably supplied with humus and moisture but under no consideration should it be waterlogged. (3) A soil well supplied with lime as lucerne must have a sweet medium in which to develop normally. One ton of lirae per acre should,, generally speaking be worked into the top soil before sowing the seed. Very peaty soils are unsuitable for lucern«. (4) Seed bed preparation requires to be thorough and consolidation by rolling is an important factor. (5) If possible select a piece of old pasture land to prepare for lucerne rather than a previously cropped area. This will ensure a comparative freedom from troublesome weeds while the young lucerne plants arc establishing and at the same time supply valuable humus ((i) Provide from 3 to 4 cwt of fertiliser (preferably super) per acre. Never, however, sow innoculated lucerne seed directly with super as this practice tends to kill the bacteria adhering to the seed. Working the Ground. Having selected a suitable piece of land and thoroughly prepared the seed bed lightly work into it most of the lime (referred to above) and superphosphate, if used, keeping back about lewt of each which should be well mixed together a few days ahead of sowing the seed.

This latter mixture can then be safely used to sow the innoculatecl lucerne seed with either through a drill (7" rows) or through the manure distributor. For drilling purposes 15/181bs seed may be used per acre or if broadcast up to 251bs. If autumn sown, a nurse crop of barley, oats or Italian rye grass as previously referred to may also be sown in addition to the lucerne. After sowing, the seed should be lightly brush harrowed, but only lightly. Subsequent Treatment. Subsequent treatment of lucerne largely depends on circumstances. If tall growing annual weeds that are likely to cause a smother are at all troublesome then these should be mown fairly high and raked off the field. If on the other hand weeds do not present any difficulty the lucerne should be allowed to grow until small shoots are observed issuing from the crowns of plants (usually beginning to flower at this stage but not always) and then cut either as hay or ensilage. The first cut of the season is frequently more conveniently made into ensilage as explained earlier in this article. A vigorous first year stand of lucerne planted in the autumn should be capable of providing three or four cuts depending on local conditions. Importance of Top-dressing. The management of established lucerne stands should mainly be directed towards weed suppression ami the maintenance of a high degree of vigour in the plants. To the latter end a good top-dressing should be given in the early spring just before the lucerne starts into growth and again if the weather uermils after the second cut has 'recn taken. (Continued foot previous column)

Lucerne is naturally a very high yiekler of nutritious fodder under suitable conditions and so it becomes necessary to keep those conditions at a sufficient level of efficiency with top-dressing etc. if the plant is to produce as normally it is capable of doing. Just as a high producing animal is usually« : a hungry feeder so also is the high producing plant. Effective Method. Weeds are best dealt with during the hot summer months, say, between the 2nd and 3rd cuts, and the implement used should be either of the spring type or a tine harrow with narrow well drawn out tines. The disc harrow is unsuitable for this work owing to its severity. Another useful method of weed control is that of sowing oats, barley or Italian rye grass, in the lucerne after taking the last cut, that is, about April. If this practice is adopted a good ha rrowing should fust be given and the seed sown with some manure. Such a method effectively controls weed growth over the winter period, gives an immense bulk of green material for the first and frequently the second cuts and does not seriously compete with the .lucerne.