TESTING LUCERNE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1725, 16 April 1913, Page 10

TESTING LUCERNE.

EXraHILNGUS IN MARLBOROUGH.' ■ . v-Excelleril;,a v es)ilts under varying condi-. lions mre-reported to have,teen 'achieved with lucerne in the Marlborough district,thjs,highly .prized , fodder having proved its superiority! over gj-nss 1 pastures, on all 'classes of land.". In stony localities in the '.vicinity of the -Taylor River and the Old .Renwick Road, on which land the best of clovers and grasses would, only grow 'Sparsely iii.'.tlia spring*' and autumn, lucerne, properly sown and cultivated so as. to . enable.', the roots to strike to an adequate depth, has, according to tho "Marlborough 'Express," . givea excellent results." , One object lesson in the possibilities of lucerne grbwing' is afforded by a piece .of stony , land at the top of Maxwell Road." This piece of land—a ridge of 6hingle .witlrtiardly..any soil on it—used to be regarded as practically impossible from a prbducer'a.point of view. A few years ago 'Mr.'"'. Smftle': tested it with lucerne, and it iibiviresponds'every season with a growth capable of, of cuts each year. " ' One' other lucerne experiment in which, SmaleVjs.'- interested is worthy of mention. : - He acquired recently a property of about'7o "acres to the east of the Riverlands racecourse, and about 45 acres of•it has-been sown' -with lucerne. The land, /.being near the.sea, is salty, 1 and the question lias been whether lucerne would find soil"of tliis-chavacter congenial. In this case "the lucerno has been equal to. the occasion."-One. plot of some 17 acres devoted to lucerne two years ago is reported to havo a-strong, even growth, and lias yielded a largo stack, of'hay, besides affordingl a' good deal of grazing. In addition tho crop is now bearing a promising sh6w.rof.seed; 'The plant having been .well 'established; and resowing not being necessary; tho' 17 aires should give still better results next year. Tho other 28 or 30 acres, was ,sawn.-.with lucerne last season, .'Slid main portion of this area the plant/has had a favourable "strike." Bavo patches appear,,here and there, but the evidences aro that the lucerne will even,tiially.. lipid,its --own over the whole area.