Abstract

Often termed the queen of forage crops, this is perhaps the most highly esteemed fodder in this province, as else- where in India. It has not, however, spread so well in Madras as in Western India; here it is still confined to the Government Farms and their neighbour hood. Though originally a native of temperate Asia (it is mentioned in the Bible) it seems able to stand the hot Indian climate very well indeed, although of course, the cuttings are heavier during the cold months of November-January than those from May-July. The crop needs a deep, well drained loam rich in lime, with adequate manuring and irrigations. Sullage water also can often be used with advantage, but soll alkalinity is fatal to its success. Being a rich feed, one or two pounds per day per animal is ample, so that in most places it need only be grown in small plots adjacent to wells. Apart from its value as a forage crop, lucerne is also reported as useful in the control of malaria. It is of course well known that malarial mosquitoes live, not only on human blood, but often feed on plant saps also. When they take in the lucerne sap, the organisms causing halaria are destroyed, rendering the mosquitoes harmless. Thus Egypt is believed to be free from malaria chiefly because lucerne is grown so extensively there. In the Argentine also, a similar thing is noted, and is corroborated by Russian workers in the Caucasus region. In Madras, lucerne was first introduced in 1916 on the Central Farm, Coimbatore, where it has ever since been a prominent and regular crop on about 2 acres. The cost of cultivation was rather high in the beginning (149 lb. per rupee in 1917, or Rs. 122 per acre) but dropped down to about 800 lb. per rupee in 1930. The average annual yield works out to 36,000 lb. in about 10 to 12 cuttings, at a cost of 425 lb. per rupee. The sale of lucerne in small bundles is a recent feature of the Coimbatore fodder supply.

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