Lucerne Growing

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 January 1914, Page 3

Lucerne Growing

- - - ~ - A LKVIN KXI'KIJIME.NT. The majority of farmers are iiinicr Ihe impression i hat lucerne j- an extremely difiicult crop to iiiipw. ()n (he contrary, there is in' more dillieulty attached to its i ii' lival ion than lo That of other crops. if it does no! grow well : In'!. is something radically wrou.u - with the seed. (liven μ-ood seed and warm, favourable weal her its growth is very rapid. An instance of this may be seen at the Kxpeijniental Farm (Levin) \ hn... a fourteeii-acre field has been laid down in lucerne. The -.f('(\ was sown on last Friday and Sai unlay, and by Monday evening it had germinated and was I hrough the ground : not in patches, bul all over the field, and ■•. r\ even. The manager consider.-, that il will be available for feeding purposes in about six necks' iinie. In connection with ihis Held, an interesting experiment in the value of inoculation is being carried out. The Held and seed has not been treated, in .iny way -with the exception of three strips right across the centre of the Held. In one strip the soil lias been inoculated : in ih< >econd the soil and seed have been inoculated : and in the third :!i,. >eed only has been inoculaled. The seed sown is colonial seed, with the exception of (he headland, which has been smvn with Arabian seed.