Feeding Lucerne to Stock. 



1 N addition to the value of feeding lucerne to ostriches, which is 

 1 exhaustively dealt with in the opening article, experience shows 

 the king of fodder plants may be fed to almost any stock with 

 -advantage. Following is the experience of Mr. F. Franks, con- 

 tained in his Prize Essay which we published a few years ago : 



CATTLE. 



Oxen will fatten in from 13 to 16 weeks if grazed on lucerne, 

 and in a much shorter time if fed on lucerne in stalls ; this of 



course is owing to their taking less exercise ; but there are many 



drawbacks to feeding in stalls. First, the expense of erecting 

 them ; another is the worrying of flies, and another the expense of 

 the attendant, as they take a great deal of attention. 



The best way of fattening oxen is in connection with other 

 stock, such as birds. The oxen are put on after the birds, so it 

 depends upon what the birds are allowed to leave, how many oxen 

 can be fattened on the morgen. 



Great care must be taken when putting oxen or cows on lucerne 

 (or on a fresh piece) for the first time. They should not be allowed 

 to stay for more than 20 minutes at a time, and if they have never 

 been on lucerne before, they should not be put in hungry. As a 

 rule, if they have never seen it before they will not eat large quan- 

 tities the first time. In all cases they want careful watching, and 

 the trocar always handy. 



To show how much risk there is, Mr. Probart, of Graaii- 

 Reinet, told me that some of his milch cows had as many as three 

 holes in them, and hardly a single one's skin was whole or without 

 hole. 



Dairy farming pays well on lucerno ; the milk is perhaps lower 

 in quantity than when fed on meadow grass or barley (green), but 

 the quality is superior. The above remarks as to stall feeding and 

 loose apply equally here. 



100 morgen of lucerne should keep 100 cows with the other 

 stock. 



It is much more economical to keep the cows out of the 

 Jucerne and feed them in the kraal in mangers ; the lucerne has 

 -only to be mowed and ridden on, it should not be chaffed, as they 



