LUCERNE CROPPING TESTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 881, 29 July 1910, Page 8

LUCERNE CROPPING TESTS.

PAHIATTJA' EXPERIMENTS.

There are few crops, under soil and climato conditions favourable to its development, which can: produce so ,great a bulk.of feed as does lucerne (says Air. G. de S. Baylis, Fields Inspector, in his report of co-operative experiments conducted by farmers and the Department of Agriculture, iu various parts of the North Island, during the latter part of last year). There are few crops, again, in which there is less loss than iu lucerne, for the simple reason that stock, if allowed, will consume every portion of it that remains above ground. Few crops are .so generally useful as the lucerne crop, for it makes excellent hay, very good ensilage, and it can also bo grazed, if judgment is used by the farmers not to graze it too low and to graze it quickly by , feeding it in breaks': and putting on a fair head of stock for the purpose. ■'.

The report thus.'deals with a plot grown by a Pahiatua farmer, Sir. J. G. Brechin:—"Soil, alluvial; land ploughed September 10, l!)0!>; disced September 29; limed at the rato of 15cwt. per acre September 28; harrowed three times October 8; seed sown in 14in. drills October'l9; cultivated with small cultivator November i and 25, January 2S: rand 29, 1910. From rapid growth made by' lucerne, says Mr. Brechin, should judge it suitable to the district." ..... \ .'.

Mr. Baylis: will revisit 'the district early next month, '• and in conjunction with the Pahiatna-Akitio '. Agricultural arid Pastoral Association, and the Pahiatua Central Branch of the i'New Zealand Farmers' Union will conduct further trials.- The Department will supply the seeds and. manures for these trials, the farmer to carry out the experiments on his . own land ; and - the crop to become his own. property.