Sept. 1, 1893.] Supplement to tlie '^Tropical Agriculturist.''* 211 
pasture lands are reported to be of exceptionally 
fine quality, and may perhaps be still more 
suitable for such an object. 
One cannot but wonder and feel indignant 
when he sees the manner in which cattle manure 
is wasted in these parts. In the lowcountry 
the Talue of farmyard manure is now being fully 
appreciated by the natives, who, knowing that 
there is a ready market for the stuff, take care to 
store it after a crude fashion. In some places 
not far from Colombo I have heard of as much as 
Kl-2o having paid for a load of dung. But in 
Anuradhapura manure eeem to be looked upon as a 
nuisance to the possessor of cattle, since he cannot 
dispose it of for money. One sees heaps thrown 
about with other rubbish, and I was told it is not 
imcommon to burn the dung in order to get rid 
of it in some way, and why is this ? Is there no 
cultivation in the neighbourhood ? Well, there 
are some large stretches of paddy land — but 
altogether not very much cultivation to speak of 
near the tanks. The explanation I was given for 
the neglect to use the dung was that the lands 
are so fertile that they did not need manure ! 
Indeed, the reviving capital of the ancient Sin- 
halese kings is sadly in want of some Little 
instruction in the arts of agriculture and rural 
economy, the knowledge of which, like its mar- 
vellous engineering skill, would seem to have been 
buried with ruined temples and palaces. 
LUCEENE. 
The cultivation of lucerne is the subject of an 
interesting paper by the Principal of the Govern- 
ment Agricultural College of South Africa, where 
lucerne is considered the queen of perennial 
fodder crops. As we believe that, with an in- 
creasing interest in diary farming, lucerne is 
destined to be one of the fodder crops of Ceylon, 
a statement of the methods of cultivation of the 
plant in the Cape will not be without value. It 
forms a green fodder and hay which is most 
wholesome and useful to dairy cows as well as 
horses, it resists drought, and, last but not least, 
it improves the soil on which it grows. "We quote 
as follows : — 
'"The Europeanfarmeris as a rule very particular 
in selecting land for lucerne culture, and he is in 
one sense correct, since the duration and produc- 
tiveness of the crops depend chiefly on the nature 
of the soil. I have, however, found by experience 
that in this climate a soil which would not be 
considered a ' lucerne soil ' produces quite a fine 
crop. But it will be understood that on a loamy 
soil containing a fair amount of lime with a rich 
permeable deep subsoil the duration and yield of 
a lucerne field is very much more accentuated 
than in places where the soils contain less lime 
and have not such a subsoil. The cultivation of 
lucerne is, however, also profitable where the 
natural conditions are not so favourable, though 
under such circumstances it may last as long and 
may require some manuring to insure a proper 
start and vigorous growth. In spite of the fact 
that lucerne does not require much moisture it 
thrives best when it gets a fair amount of rain 
every mouth, and where the local rainfall is under 
1^ in, to 2 in, per month it should obtain a good 
wetting once after each cut. Heavy rains are 
rather injurious, they favour the growth of grass 
to too large an extent and the lucerne is easily 
suppressed by it. 
" There are two essential points which must not 
be lost sight of in growing lucerne — the necessity 
of deep cultivation and of keeping the land free 
from weeds. Lucerne is naturally a deep-rooted 
plant, and it is imperative that in preparing the 
soil for lucerne sowing, it should be loosened to a 
great depth. Such an operation obviates the ap- 
plication of manure and at the same time serres 
to keepweeds oi5." 
It is advised that manuring where necessary 
should be done some time before the sowing of the 
seed : — 
" The application of manure may, however, be 
dispensed with entirely on a great many soils, and 
in almost all instances where lucerne is sown on 
new land, manuring may be considered ai unneces- 
sary except when sown in very shallow soils. If 
thesubsoil is of the proper description the lucerne 
derives its mineral food from a great depth, the 
roots having been found to penetrate into the soil 
to a depth as great as from 6 ft. to 10 ft. and even 
further. In the Museum at Berne the root of a 
lucerne plant is exhibited measuring 60 ft. in 
length. In many instances some manuring with 
lime and ashes will prove very useful ; this can 
easily be comprehended when it is considered that 
a hundred pounds of ash of lucerne plants contains, 
according to a series of analyses, as much as 
34"9 lb. of lime and 21 9 lb. of potash. Ashes, it 
may be remarked, also tend to check the growth 
of weeds. 
" There is considerable difference of opinion 
regarding the time and method of sowing lucerne 
and the quantity of seed required per acre. At 
Stellenbosch, I found by experience, it ia best to 
sow lucerne during April and May (autumn) 
broadcast in beds 6 in. to 6 in. broad at the rate 
of 15 lb. to 20 lb. per acre. This method will 
prove satisfactory in many other parts of the 
colony, notably in the Western Province. Sow- 
ing in spring can also be recommended if there is 
no danger of late frosts and of the earth-fly 
destroying the young tender plantlets. It is true 
that the autumn sowing affords a chance to the 
growth of weeds, but the crop will have the full 
benefit of the moisture in localities where winter 
rains are prevalent, and besides a full cut is 
produced early in the ensuing spring. Wherever 
the land is clean enough to allow of broadcast 
sowing it should be preferred to sowing in rows, 
more food being produced by broadcasting the 
seed, and the plants in consequence of b«ing mora 
closely crowded together will be more tender. 
Thick sowing is generally preferred to thin sow- 
ing ; in France, where lucerne culture is an old 
and important part of farming, as much as 36 lb. 
of seed per acre is sometimes sown, I found 16 lb. 
to 20 lb. ample here, and in Australia some sheep 
farmers, who have laid out lucerne pastures, have 
successfully sown only 2 lb. to 3 lb. of seed per 
acre, The seed should be of a bright yellowish 
brown colour and smooth. Seed a year old is 
preferred to quite fresh seed, as the former doe* 
not contain such a large percentage of hard grains 
as the quite fresh article. The seed should not be 
covered too deep. The covering is best accom- 
plished by means of light wooden barrows or 
