Aug., 1909.] Dair\mg Possibilities in the Sicaii Hill District. 499 



plant by the animals tends to shorten the lite of the plant and conse- 

 quently the productiveness of a lucerne paddock. The term of profit of 

 a paddock under this treatment ends in from four to six years, during 

 which time it has not given anything like the yield it would have if it had 

 been cut instead of grazed, and towards the end of the term mentioned 

 it has become dirty with weeds and the lucerne more .scattered and un- 

 productive. 



For improvement on the above wasteful method, the main points to be 

 kept in mind are that lucerne, to develop good crowns, must be sown 

 thinly and the land kept in such condition as to enable the plants to 

 become firmly established and properly developed. These points can be 

 gained by sowing thinly in drills, say 8 or 9 inches apart, and harrowing 

 at frequent intervals after the young plants have become established. This 

 cultivation will help to keep down weeds ; and, better still, it will break 

 the surface crust, and conserve moisture, if practised after it has been 

 irrigated. An implement, similar to that used for the cultivation of 

 cereal crops after they are up, would meet the purp>ose. 



Lucerne should never be grazed but should be cut and fed either gi-een 

 or as hay. Grazing is a w^asteful method of harvesting lucerne and does 

 not give the plant a chance to do its best. The crop should be allowed 

 to make its full growth before being cut. The exact time for cutting may 

 be set down as when the main part of the crop is out in flower. If a set 

 of harrows is run over the paddock after each cutting it will improve it 

 greatly by loosening or opening out the indi\ddual sets of the plant and 

 dragging out weeds. A paddock under this treatment may be expected 

 to gi\e good returns for at least twelve years and produce several cuttings 

 per year. 



Other Fodder Crops. — Though perhaps oats may be said to be the 

 principal crop grown for green fodder in most parts of the State, this is 

 not so in this district. Here it is only grown by the farmer who has no 

 lucerne — whether due to the fact that he has not given the latter a proper 

 trial on his farm, or on account of his not having sufficient water to irri- 

 gate it. It is also often apparent that the owner is too dilatory to make 

 any systematic trial of lucerne and shelters his negligence behind the state- 

 ment that " lucerne will not grow here." 



As elsewhere, the oats are fed by grazing off the early growth and the 

 crop is subsequently allowed to mature for hay, or a grain crop. Cows 

 milk well when so fed but the source of supply dees not last long enough 

 and can also be easily overdone. 



Ambercane and Japanese millet are both popular as summer crops in 

 the irrigation district, and some big yields are obtained. Like most 

 other summer fodder crops, those named come in abundantlv for feeding 

 purposes only at the one season of the vear. 



As in other parts of the State, the dairy farmers here ha\e yet to adopt 

 silage methods in order that they may profitably conserve their bulky crops 

 in a succulent condition for later use during the autumn and winter 

 months. 



One fodder crop, however, which is totallv neglected and for no ap- 

 parent reason is maize. It is a crop w^hich lends itself most especially 

 to the conditions prevailing here, namely good soil, abundant water supply, 

 and warm climate. While lucerne as a fodder crop may be said to stand 

 in a class by itself on account of its high nutritive value, still when placed 

 in comparison with maize, the bulk of fodder obtainable per acre from this 

 latter crop enables it to outweicfh lucerne on the ouestion of profit. Xo 

 matter whether there is an abundant supply of water available or net. the 



