FIRSTS PRIZE ESSAY. 15 



VALUE OF GROUND UNDER LUCERNE. 



Even in Queensland and Victoria, where there are hundreds of 

 thousands of acres of the most fertile grazing land, lucerne fields 

 .are found to be very valuable. At a recent auction sale of lucerne 

 land at Bacchus Masch, in Victoria, 9 acres brought 40 per acre ; 

 7 : 1 acres adjoining were sold at 60 an acre; 9 acres at 38 ; 

 23 acres at 37 ; 40 acres at 30 ; 5 acres at "lO ; 4^ acres at 

 41 10s. ; 5| acres at 37 10s. ; and 17^ acres at 40 per acre; 

 being an average for 122 acres of a little over 37 per acre. If 

 lucerne knd is found to be so valuable in fertile Queensland and 

 Victoria, how much more valuable ought it not to be in the arid 

 Karroo, where it would be the means - of saving hundreds of thou- 

 sands of pounds worth of valuable stock during one severe drought. 



The average value of ground under lucerne in Oudtshoorn, 

 with a fair water supply, is about 100 per morgen, or 50 per 

 acre. Ground under lucerne on the Sundays' River Estate has 

 recently fetched at public auction 70 :per morgen, or about 35 

 p?r acre. The water supply on this estate is 'periodical, being'fkjod 

 water only. The water is diverted from Sundays River by means 



of several sneezewccd weirs, about five fest high, across the river. 



ii! ' f 



COLONIAL, EXPERIENCE. 



We quote from the A gyicnltuml Journal, Vol. VIII., No. 5, p. 121, 

 Mr. Richard Gavin's own words, giving the stock carrying capacity 



of his little farm cf only 95 morgen, in Oudtshoorn, most of which 

 is under lucerne. Mr. Gavin says : " I may mention I was the 

 first to farm with luierne in these parts, having trid in 1863, and 



imported a quantity c f seed in 1866, which cost landed 2s. 6d. per 

 Ib. I had made thousands of pounds (out of it) before my neigh-' 

 bours took to it. Now it is an acknowledged fact that lucerne has 

 been the making of Oudtshocrn. , As an- example I may merition 

 that on my farm here of 95 morgen (about 201 acres) I have at pre- 

 sent, in prime condition, 105 oxen, 17 cows and calves, 10 horses, 

 .550 ostriches and a lot of slaughter sheep, and have already saved 

 .about 20 tons of lucerne hay for. winter, with about five morgen 



under wheat and oats, and .could feed double the -number of stock at 

 present, but am always careful not to overstock, for fear of a dry 

 ; summer.' 1 



We know of a Karroo farm in the Graafi-Reinet district, new 



owned by cne of the leading and progressive farmers of that dis- 

 trict, which was not worth more than 3,5<'0 at the outside valua- 

 tion before it was taken in hand by its present owner. Previous to 

 being taken in hand by its present owner, it was let at 90 per 

 annum, and were it not for a small shop or store upon the premises, 

 even this rental could not have been paid by the tenant. 



The enterprising present owner took over this unpromising 

 farm amid the makings of several prophets who pr 'phesiod speedy 



