TREATMENT OF LUCERNE.

Shannon News, 3 February 1925, Page 4

TREATMENT OF LUCERNE.

VALUE OF HAY.

The best quality of hay is. obtained when most of the curing takes place in the cock, but in regions where rains are of frequent occurrence the method that will put the hay in the mow or in the stack with the least exposure to unfavourable weather will be the most satisfactory. Hay caps are help, ful, but increase the cost of handling". Lucerne hay may be stored with least loss in the barn, but the loss in stacking may be i-educed to a minimum by giving proper attention to building and covering the stacks. When lucerne still carrying considerable moisture, goes into mow or stack, a brown or black hay usually results. Brown hay is equal in palatability to green hay, but does not bring as high a price °" the* market.

Lucerne hay is equal, if not superior, to hay made from any other crop. It is more than a maintenance ration for most classes of live stock, but it i s not an economical practice to feed it alone, as results are most satisfactory where a small quantity of grain is fed with the hay. As a pasture crop, Lucerne must be grazed with care; otherwise the stands may be seriously injured if not destroyed. Pigs do exceedingly well on lucerne pasture, and are less likely than other animals to injure the stand. The best grazing practice is to run only a few pigs to the acre, and make the usual cuttings of hay. ' Because of the danger of bloat, care should be taken in pasturing cattle and sheep. As a soiling crop, lucerne is very satisfactory for cattle; but if the stands are to be maintained the fields should be cut no more frequently nor in any earlier stage of development than when hay is made. The straw that is left after threshing a seed crop is considered well worth one-third to one.half as much as lucerne hay for feeding purposes.