LECH MINOUS CROPS. 547 



several authorities stating that from three to six times as many head of 

 stock may be maintained by soiling as compared with grazing. The advan- 

 - claimed for soiling over grazing may he summed up thus: — 



1. It saves land. 



2. It saves fencing. 



3. It economises food. 



4. It keeps cattle in better condition and greater comfort. 



5. It produces more milk. 



6. It increases the quantity and quality of manure. 



7. There is greater docility and discipline of animals. 



8. There is less breaking of fences. 



9. There is increased order in all business of the farm. 

 10. It ensures regularity of feeding and output. 



The Lucerne Seed Crop. 



The production of seed is mostly confined to those districts where lucerne 

 has been grown for a number of years, and the practice is to allow one crop 

 to go to seed when the conditions appear to be suitable. The venture is a 

 somewhat risky one, but experienced growers appear to be able to judge the 

 conditions with considerable accuracy. A well-established and somewhat 

 thin >; stand " is preferred for the purpose, though sometimes three-year-old 

 plants are utilised. As a rule it is the second cut, or the one that would 

 produce hay early in December, that is allowed to go to seed. The crop 

 should be cut when the pod has turned a deep yellow, but before it has 

 turned brown. The grain is then also yellow, and, though quite soft, will 

 mature into prime seed after it is cut. If it is left standing too long in the 

 paddock the colour will be spoilt, and, rightly or wrongly, buyers have a 

 prejudice against dark-coloured seed. Should the crop not be ripening 

 evenly, the aim should be to harvest when the greatest quantity of prime 

 seed may be expected; otherwise the matured pods will burst and the grain 

 be lost. The crop is cut with the mower early in the morning and in dry 

 weather. Sometimes the swathboard is attached to the mower and the crop 

 left in the swath for two or three days, then drawn into heaps with pitch- 

 forks (not •rakes), and left another day before being carted in and stacked. 

 If the swathboard is not used it is put into heaps on the same day or the 

 next morning, and carted in about the third day. In either case the handling 

 must be with care so that the pods will not be knocked off. 



The crop is threshed from the stack, an ordinary wheat thresher with very 

 fine screens or a special lucerne thresher being used, together with a blast 

 winnower through which the seed is put to clean it. The seed is usually 

 stored in air-tight iron tanks, or in double bags in a dry place where it 

 matures before it is marketed. During this period it must be kept perfectly 

 dry or it will turn brown and depreciate in value. 



Lucerne seed is a profitable crop, 4 bushels to 6 and 8 bushels per acre 

 being obtained, and with the price to growers reaching and even exceeding 

 Is. per lb., the monetary return is good, but the risk is considerable. If the 

 wenther proves unfavourable the farmer finds he has lost valuable time in 

 the extra period the crop has occupied the land, and that he has to be satis- 

 fied with an inferior sample of hay. 



