three crops off it as fast as he can get them. If you turn over these 

 old paddocks in April or May and sow your lucerne on a bed pre- 

 pared to the necessary fine tilth, the seed droppings from the last 

 crop, the grass, and the weeds all begin to grow together, and in 

 the struggle for existence the lucerne will get a great deal the worst 

 of it. By waiting to September the weeds and other growth can 

 be turned in with a light furrow, and the lucerne, if properly sown, 

 comes away by itself. It is objected that September is some- 

 times a dry month, but so are April and May occasionally, and no 

 man should sow lucerne unless the conditions are favourable to 

 germination. Another very important consideration is the fact that 

 farmers are seldom able to put in lucerne in April and May, when 

 they are busy with their crops. In August there is not much doing, 

 and any old cultivation paddock may be broken up then and sown 

 to lucerne in September. I am aware that there are often difficulties 

 in the way of putting in forage crops in the off season. The horses 

 are in low condition, and the farmer and his family, who are unable 

 to pay wages, are jaded and weary. But as Tennyson's new style 

 said, 4< Wurrk mun agone to the gettin'. Whinever money wur got." 

 By working the horses in spells it is always possible to put in 20, 40, 

 or 100 acres, according to the strength on the farm. The outlay is 

 small, and even 20 acres of good lucerne is a magnificent property when 

 compared with 20 acres of old stubble on w r hich the native grasses 

 that are returning to it are light and tender, and easily swept off by 

 a dry spell. In very rare cases subsoiling is necessary for lucerne. 

 The plant once properly started is very hardy and will soon force 

 its roots through all but the most stubborn of subsoils. Generally 

 speaking, an ordinary ploughing will be sufficient, but the land 

 must be cultivated by harrowing and rolling till the surface is fit for 

 ordinary vegetable seeds. The seed should be carefully tested. 

 Send for four or five samples, and the seedsman will forward them 

 with the prices marked. Place some of each sample between two 

 pieces of moist flannel and put them in plates on your mantelpiece. 

 Keep the flannel moist for 36 hours, and then you will find the seed 

 germinated, and can easily ascertain the percentage of good seed 

 in each. I once obtained the best results from a sample that was 

 2d. per Ib. cheaper than that which the seedsman esteemed his 

 best. When it was sown the seed was true to the test, and a splendid 

 40-acrc paddock of lucerne sown on the i5th September was the result. 

 Some experts favour sowing by drills ; others like broadcasting. 

 Those that believe that harrowing will injure the growing lucerne 

 prefer drilling, because cultivation can be accomplished between 

 the rows. I cannot see that this is necessary. The plants, if sown 

 in a clean seedbed, will soon cover the ground, and when cultiva- 

 tion is rc'tjuircd, a li.^ht scarifier will do no harm. The object should 

 be to keep the plains from thinning out and losing vigour as long 

 as possible, and this is the chief use of after cultivation. There has 

 been much dispute as to the quantity of seed that should be sown, 



