FEEDING LUCERNE TO STOCK. 61 



will then eat too quickly. When starting, give mostly lucerne hay 

 and very little green lucerne ; when they are quite accustomed to 

 the green lucerne, a good ration for milk is three parts green and 

 one part hay ; when dry reverse i this, c* Large calves! should have 

 half-and-half. 



HORSES >ANDMULES. 



If not wanted for fast work lucerne hay is a splendid feed 

 alone, but if they do fast work a little grain should also be given. 

 Yearlings and two-year-olds thrive better on lucerne fields, with 

 at night and morning a little hay, than on anything else ; of course 

 the latter when not in work. 



It is the cheapest food that can be bought (grown in this 

 country), as none of it is wasted like forage, half of which is 

 generally under the manger. 



SHEEP. 



Thirty miles from the coast sheep fatten and do well on 

 lucerne, but nearer than this lucerne farmers are bothered with 

 gall sickness, which when the sheep are feeding on lucerne is very 

 virulent. 



They fatten in from six weeks to two months, and scale up to 

 75 Ibs. The same care must be taken with them as with cattle as 

 they are very prone to hove, and in their case the trocar is very 

 dangerous. 



Sheep are fattened in connection with birds and cattle, and we 

 often put on after harvesting and before watering. 



Breeding pedigree sheep would, I should think, pay well on. 

 lucerne, as they would grow to perfection. 



PIGS. 



I have fed pigs in a sty on lucerne alone, and I cannot say 

 they do well. 



In America they go in for fattening pigs, running on the 

 lucerne. They put from 10 to 15 pigs on an acre for six months, 

 in which time (weighing 400 Ibs.), when put on, they gain another 

 100 Ibs. each. 1,000 Ibs. of pork are worth there 50 dollars 

 or 10 8s. 4d. 



POULTRY. 



Fowls and turkeys on a fairly large scale fattened on lucerne 

 will be found to pay and do handsomely, fattening very quickly, 

 and a large number can be fattened on a comparatively small piece. 



At night they roost in a galvanised iron house on wheels with 

 broad tyres, and a pair of shafts or a pole for the horse or two- 

 mules to move house and poultry to pastures new The house - 

 should be moved when the poultry have retired for the night^and^ 

 before they settle on the perches. 



