LUCERNE. 149 



with dew or rain. Hungry or thirsty animals should on no 

 account be allowed to pasture this crop. 



It can be ensilaged, but as it is easily made into hay, this 

 is not advocated, unless the weather is such that hay cannot 

 be made. 



Place in Rotations. — As the crop occupies the ground 

 for an indefinite period, i.e., so long as it is producing satis- 

 factory yields, it does not fit well into regular rotations. It 

 should be followed preferably by cultivated crops, e.g., pota- 

 toes, and then by wheat. Experience shows that lucerne fol- 

 lowing immediately on land previously down to the same crop 

 is not thrifty, largely due to the difficulty of getting a good 

 seed-bed prepared. 



Dry Lands. — When not grown under irrigation, lucerne 

 may be a profitable undertaking, provided a fair rainfall is 

 assured ; that it is drilled thinly in rows, two to two and a half 

 feet apart, to allow of cultivation ; and that the soil is deep and 

 porous, of good water-holding capacity and calcarious. Where 

 these conditions prevail in South x\frica it is surprising that so 

 few farmers have attempted its cultivation without irrigation. 

 On dry lands, if used for pasture, it should be pastured often 

 and fairly closely, as under these circumstances the most 

 economical use is made of the soil moisture. 



Characteristics and Improvement. — Piper' says : — 

 " Alfalfa owes its highest importance as a forage crop to a com- 

 bination of characteristics, as follows : — 



" (1) Its high nutritive value and palatability. 



(^) Its large total yield where successful. 

 " (3) Its drought resistance, due largely to its deep roots. 

 " (4) Its long life." 



Such a combination of desirable qualities has led to a vast 

 amount of experimental investigations with alfalfa, perhaps 

 more in the aggregate than has been devoted to any other 

 forage plant. 



The wide diversity which exists both in wild and culti- 

 vated alfalfas has in recent years stimulated much interest in 

 breeding to secure varieties especially adapted to certain pur- 

 poses and to special localities. Among the improvements 

 sought by various investigators along this line, the following 

 may be enumerated : — 



(1) A higher degree of leafiness combined with erect stems, 

 so as to produce more and better hay. 



