CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17118, 13 April 1921, Page 10

CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

MEETING OF BOARD OP GOVERNORS. A meeting of the Board of Governors of Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, was held at the College 1 yesterday. Present —Messrs H. A. Knight (chairman), B. W. liochhead, Thos. Blackley, Dr. Chilton.' and the' Hon. D. Buddo. Apologies were received from Messrs Tripp and Beans. Correspondence was received from the Board'o solicitors in regard to matters arising out of the sale of Bakatarainea leases. A letter was received from the Progress League in regard to a farm school during the winter holidays at the College. It was resolved to reply that the Board were in full sympathy with any movement tending to advance the interests. of the. farming community. Several years ago the Hoard, on j their own initiative, attempted to organise classes for farmers, and advertised the fact, but only one farmer replied to the advertisement. The Byllabus for their course embraced, lectures on farm crops, diseases of stock, agricultural botany (dealing with seeds and grasses), agricultural chemistry | (manures, soils, etc.), and field demonstrations. If the Progress League suggested a similar course the College staff oould. conduct it, but the Board would be glad to know what the Progress League had made or proposed to make in regard to accommodating and transporting farmers attending the classes. Attention was drawn to a report in the Press of a-meeting of the Paparua County Council, which contained the statement that "it was impossible, to supply water to the College Farm while the water-races were iri such a filthy condition." The chairman undertook to nee the Council, and get an explanation as to why the supply had been eo good since the beginning of March if for the previous four month* water was prevented from coming by the state of the racesj and a further explanation as to why or how the state of the College Taees prevented the water reaching the College boundary; ateo to ask the Council if they had proper guages. FABM REPOBT. The farm report for the quarter ended March 31st, 1921, was submitted by tho director (Mr 8..8. Alexander) as follows: The prospect jor feed at the beginning of the term was anything but good owing to tbe dry and hot weather at the end of December and first half of January. The succeeding three weeks of damp, oloudy weather, which was most unsatisfactory from a harvesting point of view, stimulated the growth of grass and fodder crops, with the result , that up to now there has been plenty of feed on the grass paddocks. A very dry March has again altered the outlook, and the prospects for winter feed aire not so good as last year, i This applies especially to the grasses and green feed sown in the autumn, which have; ' struck very irregularly or not at all, and will give no winter feed if they do-not get a good soaking within the next ten days. Hape was more than an aiverage crop, although it promised so badly* Turnips struck well, and grew - up to the middle of March, since* then they have made niOf progress, and are only a medium crop. Mangels are a poor crop. Potatoes are probably over average", v but have too much Becond_ growth to be a nice sample. Kale is a fair crop. Harvest was very much prolonged—the early crops came in too quickly,' and the later crops ripened very slowly. Early harvest weather was bad, and the oats and grass seed suffered from the'weathering. The returns from the various crops on* the farm are not any better than anticipated. The grain, crops-were ' affected by the hot, dry period at the beginnjng of the year. The yield of grass seed was reduced 50 per cent, by the wet weather experienced after :cutti"*?- ™ . The crop yields were:—Wheat, average i whole area, 38 bushels; highest yield, B7§ bushels, lowest 80 bushels; barley,. just on 60 bushels; oats—one paddock 65 bushels, one paddock 45.bushels; Italian ryegrass, 60, bushek; perennial, 25 bushela; stripped seed, 10 to 12 bushels; peaß, 80 bushels; vetches, 40 bushels. "Wheat has been sold at fixed prices, and' barley at 7s 6d, peas at ss, and grass seed 6s Id to 6s 6d (aftejr dressing). All stock on the farm have done wel), and are looking exceedingly well at the present time. Unfortunately, a proportion of the lambs' were unsold when the drop in prices oame, but the average of the lot works out at 31s 8d each. The. bulk of the flock rama "were, sold before the ram fair. The ]65 sold averaged £5 15s each. Of the lot taken, to the ram fair, a pen. of Suffolk lambs, made £7 7s, and a pen of Borders also sold well, but the balance, and practically all our stud rams, were brought' Some. Cull ewes. have' been hard to dispose of, but the buUs of them we have sold at an average of 16s The Suffolk ram, presented by the Suffolk Sheep Society of England, arrived last week, and is a good specimen of the breed, and, mated with the ewes presented by Mr Gould, Bhould demonstrate the suitability of the breed. -• The Shorthorn bull, purchased from Sir Gilbert-Greenall, ia etill in quarantine, but will be' released about April 18th. I think I am safe in asserting that this is the first Shorthorn bull of this type ever imported to New Zealand. An examination of the milk records of the cows on both sides of his pedigree ehowa an overage yield of about 1000 gallons. , _ "Work on the farm is .becoming difficult owing to-tho dry weathar. The following crops have-been sown:—lis acres'of mired grasses, acres Italian ryegrass, 110 acres oats for green feed, 25 acres oate and vetches. Teams are now engaged preparing" for autumn oats and wheat. It is proposed" to sow about 130 acres wheat, 80 acres oats, 20 aclres peas, 20 . aores barley, and the usual area of rape, turnips, kale, mangels, etc. . * The report .was adopted.