I. l.i. I &IIX01 S CROPS. 



ipproximately maintained a1 about 80 degrees Fan. The blotting-paper 

 must not be allowed to become dry, and even twenty four hours the ger- 

 minated seeds should be ivinuvcd and the number r rded. 



Tu test for purity, take a given weight, say 1 oz. of the seed; spread it out 

 on a sheet of white paper, and pick out all impurities. These may consist of 

 sand, dirt, vegetable matter (small twigs of the plant, for instance), mouse- 

 dung, weed seeds, or insect remains. These should be can 'fully weighed, 

 and the proportion in the sample arrived at thus: — 



Total weight i I weight of j ( actual 



of sample * impurity \' m !Co ', percentage 



tested ) / found \ ( of impurity. 



The weighing can be done with very little trouble. If the individual 

 cannot manage it, no doubt the local chemist would oblige, the simplest 

 weights to use being avoirdupois, 43YJ grains to 1 oz., or 7,000 to the lb. 

 The calculations are then easily made. 



If it is found that seeds of noxious weeds exist (more especially dodder), 

 the bulk should be sifted, using a mesh that will retain the lucerne whilst 

 allowing the dodder and other small things to pass through. Broken and 

 small seed may pass through also, but this will be no loss. 



Varieties of Lucerne. 



Farmers have so far given but little attention to the subject of varieties 

 of lucerne, the local strains, Tamworth, Hunter River, and Mudgee, having 

 such an advantage in acclimatisation as to make the discovery of a better 

 a difficult matter. The Department has tested a number of lucernes from 

 other lands, however, seed being obtained from time to time, as the published 

 reports appear to suggest their possible utility here. It is still extremely 

 doubtful if any can be recommended in preference to the local strains that 

 have been deservedly popular for so long. 



Time of Sowing. 



In land which has previously been infested with barley grass, or other 

 weeds whose seeds germinate in autumn, August and September are the 

 best months for sowing; and under irrigation in the western districts spring 

 sowing is preferable on account of the rapid growth which weeds make in 

 winter, whilst lucerne is comparatively slow in germination during the cold 

 weather. But throughout the bulk of the areas where lucerne is grown 

 autumn sowing is preferable. For instance, on the North Coast, if lucerne 

 is sown in spring or summer it will have but a poor chance of surviving 

 amongst the heavy growth of weeds, and March and April are the months 

 recommended. On the New England tableland and similar elevated districts 

 the seed should be sown in March, so that the roots may be well down 

 before frosts set in; in the most important of our lucerne areas the sowing 

 should be a little later than that. In the southern and south-western 

 districts, where lucerne might be profitably grown on many farms, a little 

 discretion should be exercised, autumn being the best time if the season 

 has been a wet one and the soil conditions are such as favour early ger- 

 mination, while in the case of a dry summer and autumn the sowing should 

 be delayed till about September. 



