LUCERNE PAYS IN HAWKE'S BAY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 65, 3 April 1937, Page 19

LUCERNE PAYS IN HAWKE'S BAY

Total of 5000 Acres Under Ciiltivation VALUABLE F0DDER CR0P A steady expansion in the area of. lucerne ih New Zealarid duribg.the past fifteen to twenty yeaTS, with a more rapid yearly incfease in the' past five years is commented on by Mr C. J. Hamblyo, Field® Superiptfendent of the Depaftment Of Agriculture, ih the current, i&sue of the New Zealaiid Journal •of Agriculture. Of a tdtal .of some 40,000 aCres in lucerne in New Zealand, about SObO acres are grown in.ltawke'e Bay. • In reviewing the position in the East. Coast, Wellington aud Taranaki districtS ifl ' Cdiinection With' the groWing Of lucerne, Mr Bambiyn stateet Good lucetne-growing areas are th»se with 'deep free-dfaining soils, the produetivity of the staHdS vatying _ With the natural fertility, and the satisfac# .tory ntilisation of the .crops and theret foi'e the n'eed for lucerne varying with the severity or otherwise of the dry conditions experienced on the average in- summer. The drier the summers the more need for lucerne and the hetter the conditions for harvest and utilisation-. The Ulseful life of stands is dependent on eubsoil conditions, and also oh the possibilities of weed-control accordihg to the amount and distribution of the rainfall. idore Coilld Be Grown Though the vaiue of lucerne in the maia recognised ^iucerne-growing ■ belts has been taken advantage of to a fairly shtisfactory extent, much more land could probably be devOted to lucerne with advantage on dairy-farms in suitable localities' whete the summers are particularly dry. Further, on extensive areas sueh as the Manawata and wostcoast sand-dune couutry, the Wairarapa Plains, Takapau Plaius,1 afld elsewhete, lucerne, because of its special vaiuo under • dry-Bummer conditions could With prolit be much more extensxVely USed. Finally, experience has ShOWn that lilCCrjie iS ilOt "really ptohtable on those extensive areas of ■ cduntry with: stiff subseils and geuerally high and fairlt evenly distributed rainfall, • In* general while none of the areas under review ean ciaim to have cliUiatic and sdil Conditions -cdinpafablo With those of the greafc lucerne-grdwiiig coutttries of the World, thefe are in many of these distriets conditions under which lucerne thrives and whefe the crop is of considerabJe value in providing an abundance .of green, nutritious food during dry summers, and exceilent material for hay for use in Ihe winter months. Evidence was fbrthcoming to show that lucerne haS dUriflg the .past twenty to thirty years been tried out under practically all kinds of conditions of soil and climate in this ■portion of the island, and that there has been a sorting • of the localities in which lucerUe Can be established and maintained succeBsfully, and where the crop fills a dollttite need in the farm. Soil and Summer Two outstanding features. appear to be common to those areas where lucerne can be said to be ' an important feature of the farms, first, a freely uraining subsoil, and seeond, dry summers, if not annually, then at least once in a while and frequently enough at any rate to bring out the value of lucerne as a green forage crop as compared with the pastures with which it has to compete for its plaee on the farm. Another feature Which is common to lucerne-stands throughout the area under reView, and which is a liiniting factor in the life of the stands, is the favourable conditions during the autumn, winter, and spring for the growth of Weeds and grasses which ean seldom be dealt with at this period of the year by cultivation, owing to the moist soil conditions. The general trend throughout the area is for lucerne to be concentrated in those localities where favourable conditions Of soil &"nd climate, as desexibed already, oecur together. Because sheep are less dependent on gxeen fodder in dry summers than are the dairy cows, the largest area in the aggregate is to be found on the dairyfarms, though the stands are individually smaller than is the case on sheepfarms. There' has been a deflnite and oontinued increase in'- the acreage of lucerne throughout the southern provinces, and there is stiil scope for extension. The problems in connection with the further ultilisation of lucerne can best be discussed by reviewing tho position district by district.

Hawke's Bay Suited Of some 5,000-odd acres of lucerne in the Hawke 's Bay district, by far the greater proportion is grown on the rieh, loamy soils of the Heretaunga Plains, where the stands are exceptionally prolifie and remain productive for a long period. In more recent years the successful growing of lucerne by farmers in many other parts of central Hawke's Bay, and more particularly on the Takapau Plains and the lighter soils of the Tikokino and Norsewood distriets, has been followed by a marked increase in the area in lucerne in these localities. A large proportion of tho soils of Hawke's Bay are suited to lucerne, and though the invasion of stands by weeds and grass is a serious problem :n the areas of liigker rainfall, the summers are generally sueh that the value of lucerne is sufficiont to warrant the establishment of stands on a much larger number of farms than it is on at present. In Poverty Bay very favourable conditions are found for lucerne on tho silts of the extensive river-flats round Wairoa, Gisborne, and the various rivers up and down the coast. A considerable portion of this country is d«voted to dairy-farming, and it is on the dairy-farms that lycerne stands aro found most useful, particularly in dry seasons. The area in lucerne in Poverty Bay has shown a steady increase in reeent yehrs, and there is scope for a much greater use of this crop, particularly on the lighter soils of the district.