journal  or  horticulture  and  cottage  gardener. 
286 
to  1895,  a  period  of  ten  years,  the  increase  in  acreage  has  been 
from  13,754  acres  to  23,853  acres,  or  an  increase  of  73  per  cent. 
From  1885  to  1889  the  Lucerne  crop  steadily  grew  ;  from  1889 
to  1892  the  figures  went  down,  and  since  then  the  rise  has  been 
maintained.  Essex,  Kent,  Suffolk,  Hertford,  Cambridge,  and 
Norfolk  come  first  as  growing  the  greatest  quantity,  then  next 
on  the  list  are  Oxford,  Berks,  Bucks,  Lincoln,  Hants,  and 
Sussex.  Northumberland,  Durham,  Cumberland,  Westmore¬ 
land,  Lancashire,  Derby,  and  Stafford  only  just  manage  to  grow 
100  acres  among  them. 
A  large  dairy  farmer  of  great  experience  in  North  Lincoln¬ 
shire  considers  that  just  south  of  the  Humber  is  the  most 
northerly  point  where  Lucerne  can  be  grown  profitably.  Of 
course  there  may  be,  and  are,  sheltered  districts  in  Scotland 
even  where  a  few  acres  can  be  grown  advantageously.  Lucerne 
will  not  grow  in  a  wet  soil  or  a  cold  wet  climate.  It  does  the 
best  on  chalk  or  limestone,  though  capital  crops  are  obtained  on 
Essex  clays  and  Lincolnshire  Fens.  Messrs.  Sutton  speak  of 
one  piece  in  the  Fens  that  had  been  down  twelve  years,  and  was 
still  in  grand  condition. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  that.  Art  can  assist  Nature  materially. 
As  Lucerne  is  a  crop  that  stands  for  some  years,  it  is  abso¬ 
lutely  necessary  to  see  that  the  seed  bed  is  clean,  clean  as  a 
garden,  and  also  that  the  land  is  rich  in  phosphates.  It  is 
not  a  bad  plan  to  sow  Lucerne  after  Turnips  that  have  been 
eaten  on — that  is,  if  the  ground  be  clear  in  time.  Mr.  Clare 
Sewell  Reed’s  plan  is  to  sow  in  the  spring  on  autumn  Wheat. 
He  says,  “Horse-hoe  the  Wheat  in  March,  drill  Lucerne  with 
a  small  drill,  harrow  and  roll  it  down  If  sown  with  Barley 
the  seed  either  becomes  buried  too  deeply,  or  possibly  the  Barley 
lodges,  and  you  lose  your  plant.” 
There  is  a  reason,  and  a  pretty  good  one,  why  this  crop  is  not 
more  extensively  cultivated,  and  the  reason  may  be  found  in  the 
expense  of  keeping  the  land  free  from  weeds  during  the  earlier 
periods  of  growth.  Mr.  Martin  Sutton  considers  the  seed  is  best 
drilled  6  or  8  inches  apart,  as  it  can  then  be  cleaned  by  hand  or 
horse  hoe.  If  it  is  sown  broadcast,  as  Mr.  Reed  prefers,  sow  it 
as  thick  as  you  can,  then  harrow  it,  and  you  will  get  rid  of  small 
grasses  and  weeds; 
Another  authority  says  that  if  you  sow  broadcast  the  land 
must  be  broken  up  every  three  or  four  years  to  kill  rubbish. 
Another  suggests  that  3  or  4  lbs.  of  Trefoil  per  acre  sown  with 
the  Lucerne  will  materially  help  to  keep  down  weeds  during  the 
first  year.  Yet  another,  and  a  man  who  has  been  a  prize  farm 
judge  for  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society,  prefers  to  drill  his 
Lucerne  16  inches  wide— he  certainly  gets  good  clean  crops,  and 
the  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the  eating. 
Lucerne  being  a  deep  rooted  plant  is  able  to  hold  its  own 
during  a  drought,  and  will  be  green  and  fresh  when  all  other 
herbage  is  shrivelled  and  brown.  This  characteristic  adds 
immensely  to  its  value,  especially  in  the  southern  and  eastern 
counties,  which  are  so  subject  to  drought  and  which  have  a 
comparatively  small  rainfall.  Being,  too,  a  great  storer  of 
nitrogen,  it  leaves  the  land  full  of  this  valuable  fertiliser. 
As  to  the  quantity  of  Lucerne  per  acre,  there  have  been  some 
interesting  experiments  conducted  at  the  Woburn  Experimental 
Farm  in  Bedfordshire.  The  land  is  light  sandy  loam,  very  little 
lime  in  it,  and  a  subsoil  of  nearly  pure  sand.  The  plots  were 
12  feet  by  12,  and  were  drilled  on  May  10th,  1889,  with  seed  at 
the  rate  of  15  lbs.  per  acre.  In  the  first  year  there  were  two 
cuttings,  then  1890  to  1893  inclusive  four  cuttings  per  year.  In 
the  years  1894  and  1895  three  cuttings  were  taken.  The  first 
year  the  green  weight  was  at  the  rate  of  3  tong  per  acre,  in  the 
fifth  year  at  the  rate  of  24  tons  per  acre,  and  in  the  sixth  year  at 
the  rate  of  22.  These  plots  were  hand-hoed.  They  were  also 
treated  with  different  manures.  Sulphate  of  ammonia  proved 
the  least  effective  dressing,  and  a  mixed  manure  of  bone  dust, 
superphosphate,  sulphate  of  potash,  and  sulphate  of  ammonia 
April  23,  1898, 
proved  the  best,  but  the  difference  in  yield  between  the  manured 
and  unmanured  plots  was  very  trifling. 
If  the  seed  be  sown  in  drills  16  to  20  lbs.  per  acre  will  be 
necessary,  if  broadcast  the  quantity  must  be  increased  at  least 
8  lbs  From  April  to  July,  certainly  not  later  (earlier  if  possible), 
is  the  time  for  sowing.  The  first  cutting  should  be  made  just 
before  the  flowers  open  If  the  Lucerne  is  intended  for  hay 
great  care  must  be  taken  not  to  burn  it  or  knock  it  about  too 
much,  as  the  leaf  is  brittle  and  is  easily  bruised  and  knocked 
off.  Three  cuttings  are  quite  enough  to  take  during  one  season, 
and  what  would  be  left  for  the  fourth  makes  capital  fold  for 
ewes.  Care  must  be  taken  to  give  them  plenty  of  room  lest 
they  be  tempted  to  eat  out  the  crown  of  the  plant. 
Lucerne  is  excellent  food  for  all  kinds  of  stock ;  but  being 
?o  r'ch  it  should  be  used  with  discretion  ;  being  mown  and  used 
as  a  forage  crop  for  cows,  it  should  be  partly  withered,  as 
damp  green  meat  is  so  liable  to  generate  gas.  Horses  get  into 
wonderfully  good  bloom  and  condition,  and  it  comes  in  most 
handily  being  ready  at  least  a  fortnight  before  Rye  Grass  or 
Red  Clover. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
Finer  conditions  have  prevailed  during  the  last  week.  One  or  two 
decided  frosts  have  been  recorded,  bat  the  damage  therefrom  has  not 
been  great,  and  on  the  whole  satisfactory  progress  may  be  reported  on 
the  home  farm.  Mangold  sowing  is  about  to  be  put  in  hand,  and  on 
sound  well-drained  land  should  be  completed  this  month.  After  trying 
several  varieties  we  have  discarded  all  but  Yellow  Globe.  Nothing  is 
better  for  general  purposes,  and  few  so  good.  Some  people  put  the  seed 
through  a  malt  mill  before  drilling,  but  we  prefer  steeping  in  water  for 
twenty-four  hours,  as  when  the  husk  is  broken  up  by  grinding  the  small 
seeds  are  liable  to  gravitate  together,  and  inequality  of  plant  is  the 
result.  If  after  steeping  the  seed  is  too  wet  for  drilling,  a  few  ashes 
from  a  twitch  heap  carefully  mixed  with  it  will  generally  make  the 
operation  go  smoothly. 
Lambing  is  now  quite  over,  and  though  there  have  been  a  few  losses 
during  the  closing  period,  they  have  not  materially  affected  the  excellent 
record  of  the  season. 
Cattle  but  newly  turnei  out  are  not  having  a  very  happy  time  of  it, 
and  where  good  shelter  has  been  wanting  must  have  suffered  from  the 
cold  winds  of  the  early  part  of  the  month  ;  but  except  in  cases  of  actual 
illness  it  is  best  to  let  them  rough  it,  as  bringing  them  up  again  will 
generally  entail  going  through  the  hardening  process  once  more. 
The  dry  food  that  would  have  to  be  used  in  the  yards  will,  however, 
do  the  cattle  more  good  if  given  out  at  grass.  The  animal  heat  must  be 
maintained,  and  if  the  natural  food  is  not  aided  by  a  sufficient  daily 
temperature  artificial  food  must  be  added  to  make  up  the  deficiency. 
Cotton  cake  being  of  a  binding  nature  is  the  best  thing  to  give  on  grass 
for  any  stock  over  twelve  months  old,  for  younger  animals  give  a  little 
hay  or  clover. 
Again  has  the  voice  of  the  Potato  buyer  been  heard  in  the  land,  and 
the  rattle  of  the  patent  sorter  tells  that  at  any  rate  a  market  may  be 
found  somewhere.  Stocks  have  dwindled  rapidly  of  late,  and  the 
Job-like  patience  of  the  small  minority  of  holders  may  have  its  reward 
before  June.  We  have  forty  days’  liability  to  frost  yet. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden  Square,  London. 
Lat.51°  32' 40"  N. ;  Long.  0°  8/  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
d 
3 
1896. 
April. 
j  Barometer 
at  32°,  and 
|  Sea  Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot. 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday  ..  12 
29-896 
48-0 
42-9 
N.W. 
47-6 
54-7 
39-2 
103-2 
33-1 
0-082 
Monday  ..  13 
30-123 
45-0 
38-2 
N.W. 
46-2 
53-2 
35-0 
102-9 
28-9 
0-079 
Tuesday  . .  14 
30-049 
43-2 
41-8 
S.W. 
45-9 
52-7 
38-1 
89-1 
29-1 
0-078 
Wednesday  15 
30-205 
46-1 
40  9 
N. 
45-9 
54-4 
39-4 
104-3 
S7-7 
0-019 
Thursday  . .  16 
30-238 
46-0 
43-7 
S. 
45-9 
61-7 
38-8 
82-4 
29  8 
0-068 
Friday  ..  17 
30-136 
51-3 
46-7 
W. 
45-4 
59-9 
39-8 
109-7 
32-6 
— 
Saturday  . .  18 
30-354 
53-4 
49-2 
W. 
46-2 
59-6 
41-6 
97-7 
33-3 
— 
30-143 
47-6 
43-3 
46*2 
55-2 
38-8 
98-6 
32-1 
0-326 
REMARKS. 
12th.— Strong  gale  all  day,  with  much  bright  sun  ;  occasional  spots  of  rain  and  heavy 
rain  with  hail  at  4  P.M. 
13th.— Brilliant  sunshine  generally  ;  cloudy  at  times. 
14th.— Continuous  rain  from  5  a.m.  to  10.30  A.M.,  dull  and  gloomy  after,  and  rain  again 
at  night. 
15th.— Bright  sunshine  and  occasional  oloud. 
16th. — Bull  and  gloomy,  with  frequent  rain. 
17th.— Brilliant  early  nnu  generally  sunny  throughout. 
18th. — Frequently  overcast,  but  sunny  at  times. 
Slight  grass  frosts  on  three  nights,  but  on  the  whole  a  pleasant  week  of  average 
temperature. — G.  J.  SYMONS. 
