486 EXPERIMENTS WITH LUCERNE. 
atfected by maturity, with a view to determining the most 
advantageous time of harvesting the crop, and the results are 
contained in Bulletin 111 of the Department. . 
For the purpose of the experiment the crops of lucerne on 
plots, one-thirtieth of an acre in extent in 1898, were cut at 
three different periods. The first plot was cut when the buds 
were well formed; the second rearly two weeks later, when 
the blossoms were one-third out; and the last nearly another 
two weeks later, when the plant had passed the full bloom 
Stage. After cutting, the crop was weighed, cured in the 
usual way, weighed again, and a sample taken for analysis, 
the rest being used in the experimental digestion work. 
The following table shows the weight of the various 
cuttings :— 





Cray Green As | Dry 
Es State. Hay. Matter. 
tbs. lbs. lbs. 
Second crop, 1897. per acre. | per acte.| |) peragn: 
First cutting ; buds formed - - - - 17,100 3,761 BAI 
Second cutting ; blossom one-third out - - 15,400 4,493 3,819 
Third cutting ; a little past full bloom - - 11,500 3,902 2 317 
_ First crop, 1898. 
First cutting ; buds formed - - - - 18,000 35502 3,045 
Second cutting ; blossom one-third out - - 19,050 5,001 4,251 
‘Third cutting ; a little past fullbloom - - 17,550 4,581 3,894 
Second crop, 1898. 
First cutting ; buds formed - - - - fe iteals 2,234 1,899 
Second cutting ; blossom one-third out - - 9,090 2,947 2,505 
Third cutting ; a little past full bloom - - 8,040 2,604 

2,214 

The growth of the second crop of 1898 was adversely 
affected by the absence of rain, hence the reduction in 
quantity as compared with the previous year. With one 
exception, the largest yield, whether in the green state, as 
hay, or as dry matter, was obtained from the second cutting, 
made when the plants were about one-third in blossom. It 
is possible that the weight of the crop would have increased 
for a few days longer, but it is clear that by the time of the 
third cutting there had been a marked decrease, which can 
be at least partially accounted for by the large number of 
leaves which had fallen off previous to the third cutting. 
