LUCERNE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1810, 24 July 1913, Page 10

LUCERNE.

FOB ALL GLASSES OF STOCK. Thero are those- who believe that the new Zealand dairy farmer of the future will depend primarily, for his cow feed on lucerne and ensilage. WJien thu* certainty with "which theso cau be relied u.pou is considered, there is solid reason behind the prediction. The experience of other countries, .and tho increasing demonstrations that are being made here, which show* that lucerne may bo successfully cultivated over a very wide area of tho Dominion, all point to a vapid extension of its tiso as n fodder plant ior all classes of stock. The principal use to which lucerne will bo put' will undoubtedly lio in its value as a. superior f:ced for dairy cattle. The experience of other countries, however,"* shows that.it is equally valuable for other classes of farm slock. Lambs havo been most successfully fattened on lucorno in New Zealand, and well cured weenie hay. The Argentine has provided sufficient demonstration of the value of lucerne for stock feeding purposes, and pastoralists there havo hailed lucerne hay | as -a favourite feed for pedigree sheep in the States. White sufficient evidence is forthcoming as to. the suitability of lucerne for sheep fesdinK", much light reciuires to be thrown on tin's subject beforo I tho iVew Zhaland sheep farmer can take up lucerne with any degree of confidence. Ilia experiment stations coukl <lo good work in this connection, especially in regard to t.ht> most approved system of preserving it in the form of ]iav, a process Which demands a knowledge of right pro.ceduro -and considerable care, probably-in-volving the iif.o of the "caps," or small canvas coverings for the tops of the cocks in tills field. This special treatment sug{feste.increased cost and labour, but when t'lie' added value of properly cured lucerne nay is considered, it is probablv fully worth it. The suitability of lucerne hav for lior.~o flrod is undoubted. In many places it is displacing grain in the ration of working horses, and though it is hardly likely to be contended that it is preferable totoats, the* experience of those who have tried it points to fact (hat it ig a good substitute, and has distinct advantages. In some of the wheat-growing areas of New South Wales it is almost exclusively used ior feeding draught stock. . * '