KARROO SOIL, LUCERNE AND THE OSTRICH. 1^5: 



In all these analyses whole lucerne plants were taken, leaf 

 and stalk together, so as to arrive at a good average. Each 

 of the figures in the above analyses indicates the average of 

 at least two determinations and in most cases more. ■ 



One season's crop would take from one acre of soil : — ! 



No. . . i I I .2 I ■ ! 3 



f__ 



'Phosphoric Oxide 



Lime 



Potash 



8olbs. : 86 lbs. 



126 lbs. ] 137 lbs. 



336 lbs. I 312 lbs. 



Tt will be noticed from the three analyses that the phos- 

 phoric oxide is pretty constant, and also that the variation in 

 percentages in most of the other constituents is verv slight. 

 The three crops may be said to be chemically almost the same. 



These researches of the late Mr. Stevenson yield very in- 

 teresting results : — 



(a) The growth of lucerne in our sunny climate is much 



more vigorous than in the moderate climate of Europe, 

 and consequently the amount of mineral constituents, 

 phosphoric oxide, lime and potash, taken from the soil 

 is very much larger than in Europe. 



(b) The average amount of albumenoids in our lucerne is 

 larger than in the lucerne grown in Europe, and our 

 lucerne-hay is more nutritious than the lucerne-hay 

 from Germany or England. 



Although lucerne was brought to the Colony only about 50 

 years ago, it is now the staple-fodder in the Karroo-soil dis- 

 tricts, and an important branch of farming — ostrich farming — 

 entirely depends upon lucerne and flourishes on lucerne. 



Many observant ostrich farmers have noticed that there is a 

 •considerable! 'difference between the feathers of the wild 

 ostrich, the veld-fed bird, and the lucerne-fed bird. Mr. 

 Stevenson undertook with great devotion a large number of 

 analyses of ostrich feathers, the results of which those readers 

 will particularly appreciate who have some experience of Zoo- 

 chemical analyses. The following are the results of these re- 

 searches as I find them amongst the papers of my late young 

 friend.* 



*^\Ve are greatly indebted to the firm of Messrs. Wm. Spilhaus and 

 Company, Cape Town, who most liberally supplied Mr. Stevenson with all 

 the material which he required for his research. Mr. Spilhaus deserves the 

 hearty thanks of ostrich farmers as well as of all others who are interested 

 in these investigations, because they could not have been undertaken unless 

 the very large number of different feathers from the various parts of the 

 country had been put at our disposal free of costs. 



