16 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
LUGERNE., 
B® 
VES 
HAYMAKING. 
Mr. Gatenby says in respect to lucerne 
haymaking: “I cut in the morning and 
rake an hour or two after cutting, and put 
it into small cocks the same afternoon. 
The man raking overtakes the mowers, and 
then goes on cocking. The next morning 
it is put into the stack. Most Hunter 
River lucerne haymakers cut in the morn- 
ing, rake, cock, and have it in the stack 
the same evening. They say this keeps 
the leaf on. The stacks are only small— 
10 to 15 tons. It heats a little, but that 
only makes the hay brown, and a lot of 
people would sooner see it a little brown 
and good leaf on. -If thought likely to 
heat too much they fill a bag with straw 
and put in the centre of stack, drawing up 
the bag as the stack progresses. In this 
way a round funnel is left right up the 
middle of the stack, and prevents a great 
deal of heating. This plan is worth try- 
ing. Very few people thatch lucerne 
stacks; put a good pitch on, and perhaps 
another topping up later. They will keep 
for ages, and throw the rain off. 
The plant gains strength during the win- 
ter. 
Re sketch showing three small pad- 
docks, they have all small banks thrown 
up by the plough two chains apart; the 
water passes from the drain on to one or 
two of these basins at atime. When over 
the end the water is put on to the next 
two and stopped on the previous ones, and 
soon. arly next morning, if any surplus 
water is lying on the lower end, it is drain- 
ed off into the lower drains, and so on. 
SEO SH COCSS-COS 
DRESSING FOR LUCERNE. 
The common idea that lucerne, being a 
leguminous crop, is independent of artificial 
dressings for its supply of nitrogen, is not 
confirmed by the results of some experiments 
conducted by Dr. Bernard Dyer, and des- 
cribed by him in the journal of the Royal 
Agricultural Society. On the contrary, a 
liberal quantity of nitrate of soda was of the 
utmost significance in increasing the weight 
of yield, This result may have far-reaching 
issues in connection with the growth of 
Mr. Gatenby’s System of Irrigating Lucerne. 
IRRIGATING LUCERNE. 
Mr. N. A. Gatenby uses a 15-in. centri- 
fugal pump driven by compound conden- 
sing engine throwing about 3,000 gallons 
per minute. He sows about 10 to 12 lb. 
of lucerne per acre on land ploughed 6 in. 
to 7 in. deep, and cultivated to a fine tilth. 
He has been sowing latterly in August, 
but believe March and April to be better. 
lucerne, for it seems that by the use of 
liberal dressings of nitrogenous manures’ land 
that is not naturally suited forthe plant may 
be made to grow it on a profitable scale. 
Dr. Dyer does not seek to refute the 
accepted truth that lucerne, like other 
leguminons plants, can fix and utilise the 
nitrogen of the atmosphere; indeed, he 
expressly mentions his firm conviction of the 
accuracy of that theory. But he contends 
that the plant is not capable of exercising its 
peculiar fuuction independently of the condi- 
APRIL 1, 1903. 
tion of the soil in which itis sown. If 
the soil is in a high state of cultivation, both 
physically and manurially, supplementary 
artificial supplies of nitrogenous manures 
may be unnecessary ; but, on the other hand 
if the soil is poor and has not been over well 
farmed, the plant is so considerably hamper- 
ed in its enriching operations as to remove 
its independence in respect to its require- 
ments of nitrogen. Dr. Dyer found that the 
addition of 2 cwt. per acre of nitrate of soda 
to 3 cwt. or 4 cwt. of superphosphate and 
1 cwt. sulphate ‘of potash gave very profit- 
able returns, that quantity being better than 
1 cwt., which in turn was preferable to 4 cwt. 
Dr. Dyer suggests that the case of peren- 
nial crops like lucerne, in regard to the . 
question of self-fertilisation, differs materi-_,. 
ially from that of rotation crops, such as 
clover and beans. These latter have the 
important advantage of a good startin a 
well-prepared soil usually containing the 
residue of previous manurial dressings, 
whereas the permanent lucerne is left abso- 
lutely to its own resources. 
DP CSCOSESO 69 > 
School Gardens in Germany. 
For nearly a century past Germany has 
been alive to the supreme importance of 
training the children of agricultural districts 
in the intelligent cultivation of the land, and 
has been advancing year by year towards the 
attainment of this end. Opportunities are 
offered at well-equipped horticultural centres 
to landowners who can attend within easy. 
distance of their homes courses of instruction — 
in forestry, vine culture and fruitgrowing, 
-landscape gardening and horticulture, no less 
than to ‘elemantary teachers, farmers, and 
professional gardeners, the latter classes be- 
ing assisted by Government grants for ex- 
penses. and fees when they are unable 
themselves to defray the cost of such practi- 
cal education. A large proportion of ele- 
mentary village schools are provided with 
' garden ground, where the elder children are 
trained in the grafting and management of 
fruit trees, of vegetables, and of flowers as 
are best suited to the conditions of the parti- 
cular district. Even town schools, it would 
seem, are not left out of the general scheme, 
and have their allotted garden plots. “The 
Garden.” 
=[ooce~ 
Many an ugly corner in a garden that for 
long has been an eyesore, because perhaps 
the situation is a sunless one and few plants 
will grow there, may be changed and made 
attractive if only one goes to work in the 
right way. Let us take the worst view of the 
case, and imagine no sunshine ever visits the 
corner in your garden, which you have given 
up in despair; there is yet a remedy. Why 
not try a hardy fernery? You may set 
about it at once, and so get it into shape for 
spring, when hardy Ferns can be planted. 
In country districts, at all events, one may 
often produce limestone and sandstone at a 
reasonable cost, and these, placed in désired 
positions with soil filled in between each, 
will be suitable for planting, Ferns, Ivies, — 
ete.—W, F. D, in “ Gardener,” 
