FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 52, 22 July 1914, Page 6

FARM AND DAIRY.

LUCERNE. ITS VALUE TO THE DAIRY FAR.UERS Of TARANAKI. (Ilawera Star.) . The rapid conversion of a major portion of Taranaki from bush to dairy farms has [n ought with it many changes. No long as tile virgin fertility afforded abundant grass and very high returns per acre was not a necessity, dairy iarmers were for the most part content with moderate returns from grass land Mipp.cmi'iited by roots for provision of late summer and autumn feed. Tile present high figures ruling for dairying land necessitates a deeper study of'the economies of farming. The loss of virgin fertility requires that more attention be <ievoted to maintenance of fertility and upkeep .of pastures. The unsatisfactory yields sometimes obtained floni the root and forage crops usually grown brings before our notice one of the choicest gifts of nature and the gieatest mortgage lifter and national asset extant, namely lucerne. I'ollowing on the initiative given by Mr E. Clifton, late Director of Fields and Experimental Farms, the Division has given all the assistance possible to those farmers wishing to establish plots of lucerne. In his pamphlet on luceine, Mr Clifton says: "The enhanced cost of agricultural land in the Dominion no longer permits the chief ,resource of the farm to remain in the usual pasturage. The immediate energy of . the farmer must be devoted to tillage, and to the production of crops from which greater profits are to be secured than have been accepted in the past as sufficient. Of those more remunerative crops, lucerne should take an important posiI o the dairy farmer and grazier is will be of immense value."

Xo apology is required in writing on a subject which of late years has been w i itten and re-written. T)ii> importance of the subject justifies the attention which it is receiving. Many failures aie attributed to the lack of information as to how to grow the crop in the best possible way. and it is considered that Taranaki conditions require special treatment. Although we have much to leai n, it is trusted that a few notes on the value, cultivation and management of tins crop based principally on exper■lenee at .'Moumiiliaki, will not come amiss, rt is wished to emphasise that, as in many other branches of business, successful cultivation of lucerne must, be based on thoroughness, and attention to jiiany details which have a direct bearing on the production of a maximum .\iold. It i» intended to deal witli lucerne ill three sections —value, cultivation. and management. The economy of growing lucerne for feeding to stock and for soil improvement by increasing the available plant food of the soil, supplying humus, and creating drainage lias not been fully realised by many farmers. The tremendous powers possessed bv this plant by sending dqwn roots to depths unsought by other plants, gives to lucerne a scope for ii'od and moisture which fully accounts for the lucerne patch showing up like an oasis in the desert during the tli'v autumn months. To give some figures? In 28 days from the daV of sowing seed a root was excavated to a depth of 1'4.7 inches. In six months another root was excavated which 'had reached to over -fft. din. The root exhibited at tiie Winter Show* just past taken from an eight-year-old plot, measured 24:"t. din., and this root penetrated an ironsaml pan over a foot in thickness. The great pumping power of this pl.t lit cud Ik* riMiJised when one sue!], roots ill ail average of six to "nine unties apart. TVlien these roots decay, what an ellVctiial drainage system 'is earl-led out. A drainage • system far more ellectua! than any mechanical or artificial system yet devised. Again, what a supply of- humus is given to" the soil by the decay of tiiese roots. These above advantages, together with a permanent stand yielding abundant crops of nutritious loddcr, and in the end intleased fertility of the soil, are some of the benefits to be derived from lucerne. * culture of ItU'prno dates back over 20TO years, but weVnf the 20th century appear to be only/ 011 the'thrcsho''l of remarkable 'agricultural de. \eiopments and in these lucerne must play a prominent part. The great adaptability of the plant renders its cnlturi more wide-oread than almost, any otliei Held clop. Its value has been apprcciat ed m the United States, in Canada, ii Argentina, in Australia, but it is onli of Jate years that any attempts at it's cultivation have been made in New Zea land. It is gratifying to learn that the

nujority of tlifse attempts ham beer more (, r l,. ss successful. Lucerne requires a (•lean, fertile soil, overlaying u permeable and well drained subsoil. That these conditions exist in many parts of Taranaki i.s well known, and with due attention to cultivation and managein, .nt there seems no reason why lucerne should Hot take a prominent part in the future agriculture of tins province. I he chief drawback to the cultivation of lll( ' i n;i ' i» Tar'anaki is the greati growth of Weeds and grasses during the autumn anil winter months. At this tunc most varieties of lucerne are more ;'i' !<;*< <1- ''mailt.. It is absolutely useless tor a fanner to attempt to cultivate lueernc in a half-boarted manner. The complaint will then surely arise that the Weeds and grasses choked the lucerne and the latter ultimately disappeared, With the appended remark that 'lucerne is no good in this district, for the weeds kill it out." Several splendid plots in diller.-nl parts of Taraniiki. yrown l>v liirmei-s ill corporation with' the Department. are living evidence wliicli ' shows what can lie done by management. I lie value of lucerne as a fodder for dairy stock during all seasons of the year is undisputed'. It. is as a iiav crop that lucerne owes much of its name in lue '.nited States. Under favorable soil i and conditions, up to i; tons o? hav uijiy lie produced per aire per aiiniiin. | We!! saved lucerne hay i„ regarded as e.-iual 111 feeding value as bran,'and those, vh,, attended the Winter Show just I pa-:, bad op|".rtunities of examining

samples of this hay made in different parts. No other hay requires more skill or experience in the making in order to obtain first-class quality. Lucerne hay is one of the finest fodders for winter and early spring feeding. As ensilage, lucerne supplies a rich succulent fodder available for use at any season of the year. The presence of many other plants in the first growth of the season and the unfavorable weather conditions obtaining in November, render the making of the first cut into ensilage tile most practical way of conserving a crop in a pal'abaKe and nutritious form. As a soiling crop, lucerne is particularly valuable during tiledrier summer and autumn months, as it supplies dairy stock with a succulent and nutritious fodder well suited for milking production. When used for this purpose, it is cut somewhat earlier than for hay. Lucerne may be fed with advantage and economy to horses, sheep, pigs and fowls. There may be parts where lucerne cannot be "grown on account of the nature of the sub-soil, but from Wanganui to New Plymouth and many miles inland the soils and sub-soils on the arable lands are free and jnore or less suitable for the culture of lucerne. Although lucerne is at present regarded as a supplementary crop in most parts o'. New Zealand, therejmay be a time when it will becotae the principal crop on many arable lands. Should that time come, these fields would be a great national asset. While nnany of the initial trials may prove more or less discouraging, the experience being gained at Moumahaki and parts of Taranaki is rendering success more certain.

Although Moumahaki Experimental Farm is situated within the province of Wellington, the conditions of soil and climate obtaining there are more near akin to those prevailing in Taranaki. The soil on the ta'bleland at Moumahaki may be described as a sandy loam with a porous sqndy sub-soil. The greatest yield of green lucerne produced on this soil has been 33 1 /, tons per acre per annum from Marlborough lucerne. The area under lucerne is now 45 acres, and more is to be sown down during the coming season. It is not advocated that lucerne should be pastured until a good stand has been obtained, and even then it is doubtful whether pasturing would be economical. 'Cattle and sWp are liable to bloat if "turned on when the crop is wet, but pigs thrive well and do not damage the stand to the same extent as sheep. With the advantages enumerated above, it would behove progressive farmers to set aside a plot for sowing down during the coming season, and not* to be content uptil that plot is producing a flourishing crop of lucerne. —Star.