BRIEF REVIEW.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 224, 20 September 1940, Page 4

BRIEF REVIEW.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY. HON. DR. D. G. MCMILLAN. A brief review of certain activities of hie Department was given in an interview to-day by the Minister in charge of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Hon. Dr. D. G. McMillan, who is on a brief visit to Auckland. He said investigations had been made by the grasslands division of the plant resoarch bureau on methods of control of blind seed disease of ryegrass by crop luanagenient. The general inference from the facts which had so far been obtained was that the best yields of pure germinating seed had been obtained from crops which had been closed up early and which had produced a dense bottom growth. "Good progress has been made by the plant diseases division at Auckand with methods of control of various plant dieeases," he said. "The most promising method of control of pea mosaic, a virus disease, is by the use of immune varieties. In collaboration with the agronomy division, an attempt is being made to breed strains immune to mosaic, and a large number of eingle-plant selections are now ready for field testing for type and yield. Dicky-rice weevil, a pest attacking citrus trees, is now completely under control. Further observations by the division have shown that thorough cultivation at critical periods, and the removal of branches in contact with the ground, materially influence the control of this pest."

In collaboration with the Mines Department, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research was actively investigating local sources of supply of minerals of industrial and strategic value, including copper, mercury, manganese, oil shale and bentonite. The geological survey branch of the Department had recently completed a detailed survey of the bentonite deposits at Porangahau, aril a full report on the quantity and quality of the material available was now being prepared for publication. Bentonitehas a wide range of industrial uses, and the local material was already being successfully used •as an ingredient of moulding sands in foundry work.