LUCERNE-GROWING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 20, 11 June 1914, Page 5

LUCERNE-GROWING.

INTERESTING KXFER.MENIK

PA 7 THE A'CJRJL-l/rUKAL DEPARTMENT. «

An outstanding feature of the exhibit by the Agricultural Department in the Taranaki Winter Show yesterday, was the result, shown on tabulated cards and by specimens, of the experiments recently carried out with green fodder, noticeahly lucerne. In discussing 'the matter; with a News representative yesterday Mr Hill, who is in charge of the Moumaiiaki State Farm section, re-, marked, '"The Department considers that the general cultivation of lucerne for fodder is one of the most paying propositions which the farmers can go in for, but it requires ,perhap(i more care than is usually devoteu to crops. It will, however, amply repay for the attention 'bestowed on it, and on top yield will give 33y 4 tons of green fodder per acre per annum." , In discussing cocksfoot, Mr Hill remarked that pure cocksfoot was perhaps better than any other permanent pasture for certain lands. "There %" he concluded, "too much Italian rye grown, to the detriment of slower-developing grasses. In tlie section under t:..e control of Mr Baylis, there is an especially interesting exhiDit. It deals with the result of experiments made »y fanners in the North Wand, on the co-operative 'system, the seeds, manure and «chraie being supplied by the Department, and the crops being retained by the fanner. There are boxes of lucerne of several varieties taken from plants in different districts, clearly showing the varying soil conditions under which lucerne will frrow in Now Zealand. Some -of the crops from which the samples are taken have been established as long as five years, while others have not been sown for as many months. On the walls of the exhibit nro roots of lucerne of all age=i, and one of these from a nine-months-old plant grown toy Mr R. Johns, of Okaiawa, is four feet long. Mr liavlis, in discussing the matter yesterday, emphasised the value of deep tillage for lucerne in Taranaki soils, as evidenced by the New Plymouth High School's exhibit. "Following on these re-ults," he said, "experiments are being made with special implements for deepening tihe cultivation of the soil without immediately bringing the raw subsoil to the surface, and, in my opinion, •rood resulls will Do obtained in Taranaki soil on these lines."