Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-09-19
The farm aud fiteside.
LUCERNE ssONCE MORE"

LUCEKNE "ONCE MORE"
Editor Southern Cultivator: The increased
interest manifested in the cultivation Of this
valuable plant, as evinced in frequent CORES.
pondence and inquiries (of late) in your jour-
nal, is encouraging. 1t points to better fed
stock, more rich milk and butter, especially
in our barren cotton, belt where 80 little at
tention is paid to proper food and comfort for
man and beast.
Having planted lucerne for many years,
and studied its history and habits as carefully
as possible, I freely offer my experience and
advice, with reference to its culture, if it will
only serve to enlist a greater enthusiasm, and
efforts to cultivate it in increased areas. lis
one of the oldest plants cultivated, as far
back as history teaches of "stock husband
ry," and belongs to a temperate and semi
tropical country. 1t revels in the SUMS in
a great degree independent Of continual rains,
withstands the severest droughts of summer
and winter, and will not bear irrigation to
any extent. Its tap-root penetrates to an in.
credible distance in the earth, and thus puts
it beyond the reach or effects of our summer
and autumnal droughts, which tell so dlsas,
trously upon other clovers and cultivated
grasses especially in our loose soils. Lucerne
wants sandy soil, with dry, porous sub
soil-a soil filled with humus Cor decaying
vegetable matter with an ample supply OF
potash. Like others of the legumina, it
needs this latter mineral food to large de.
gree-obtaining its nitrogen elsewhere, does
not require Is much of this as the cereals.
An old dung.hill, richly bestrewed with
ashes and trash for long time, is the home for
this plant, and as the supplies of proper food
are exhausted by continual groupings, they
must be supplied by top-dressings in winter
and spring with ashes and plaster and rotted
stable manure. Its capacity to yield is lin.
tied only by the supplies Of food given it al
that period when the rains will carry the
greatest amount to the surface roots. l beg
to offer my mode of preparing the land and
seeding, and after cultivation.
Selecting dry, elevated plat of sandy soil,
I make it rich by application of such ma
nures as above mentioned, and this requires
more than one season. 1t may take longer
than most persons are willing to wait for and
expend; and here let me say, that if tbt
ground is not rich, my advice is to let the
costly seed alone. 1t will pay, however, foI
the outlay and labor, to make the soil rich,
if not so naturally. The land must be deep
ly broken and we'll subsoiled, if the under
clay is hard and impervious. l grow a crol
of field peas upon this plat as cleaning crop
preparatory to putting in the seed the last Of
September, or soon after the usual Equinoc
tial rains, when the soil is moist and tht
nights are cool. The pea vines are cut FROM
the ground and removed, and is we'll turned
over, leaving no grass or trash save the pea
vine roots, which are easily gathered up BY
rakes or narrowed up. An application of
good phosphate, with but little ammonia (3O0
lbs to the acre,) helps most wonderfully to
speed the growth of the plants. This is har
rowed on well, the land made smooth for the
scythe or mower, and the seed carefully dis
tributed, at the rate of % or 80 lbs. to the
acre. If you are not satisfied the seed are
fresh and good put in 80 lbs. The books say
ID to 20. This not enough to stud the land
thick, and the object is now Gas your land IL
clean) to crowd out all future weeds and
grass.
The seed are lightly narrowed in and
roller passed over the ground. If you can
get the third and fourth leaf upon the tender
plants, under hot sun that may still threat
en- to kill them, you may feel safe as to any
farther trouble. The winters freezes will not
affect them, and nothing else save the "hoot
and tooth" of animals, which should be put
upon it carefully. Indeed think nothing
should ever 60 upon the Lucerne plat buI
sheep, save the scythe or mower, the cart and
dung.fork. If the seed are to be drilled, lay
off rows (small scooter furrows) twenty four
inches apart, and drill in seed at the rate Of
6 to 10 lbs. to the acre. A little fertilizer at
the bottom of the furrow bel ps. If the seed
are permitted to come up in the furrow an
inch below the surface, it is a great protec
tion to them until large enough to work with
the hoe.
I much prefer the broadcast culture for
soiling or forage purposes. For saving seed
for market or use, the drilled plants, cultiva
ted, yield the best and most seed. And here
let me warn growers not to attempt to use the
hoe or plough after the cool spring months
Any attempt to hoe Lucerne in sandy soil,
to clean it of weeds and grass in midsummer
or autumn, will eventually destroy it. The
injury to the roots will certainly injure its
vitality, and cause it to die out sooner. keep
my alleys clean till the first cutting, working
it early in spring:
After that cut it with grass which may
occupy the middles Lucerne is more hardy,
and stands its own with weeds and grass bet
ter than most cultivators suppose. 1t grows
very we'll in thick sward in lawn under
the shade of trees, resappearing as often as
the other grass is cut, and as lasting and as
tenacious as blue grass or orchard grass, if not
trodden down by stock.
The next best time to put in Lucerne in
this climate, is the last of February or first OF
March. If delayed till this time, the drill
system is the best, as you now have time to
give it work, and the broadcast would soon
be over.run with weeds and grass. The ob-
ject, therefore, of fall sowing, is to get it, by
a full winters growth, to completely occupy
every inch of the land. You cannot obtain
this by broadcasting in spring. Lucerne
will grow all through our mild winters. |
cut crop of hay from mine the middle of
October last, and there was no month during
that winter that my sheep failed to get good
grazing.
This stock can be let upon it with benefit
to both. The litter of the sheep is fine top
dressing. if they are not permitted to remain
too long upon it at one time and whilst the
ground is wet. This must be carefully guard
ed against.
lind the California or "Bur Clover" Gan
annual and lucerne,) a good crop to grow
together with the other. The first cutting is
mixed, and the after leaves and vines of the
Bur clover afford fine mulch and manure
for the perennial Lucerne. The former
springs up every fall and winter and fills up
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