WHEAT-GROWING.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18410, 17 June 1925, Page 10

WHEAT-GROWING.

ADDRESS BY DR. HILGENDORP. At the invitation of the Kaiapoi branch of the Farmers' .Union,. Dr. Hilgendorf, of Lincoln' College, delivered a lecture at Kaiapoi last night c-n wheat-growing. There was a large and representative gathering of farmers of the district. The president of the branch, Mr \V. J. Heney, presided. The speaker in dealing generally with the subject gave as his opinion that in the Kaiapoi' district wheat crops should be sown in the autumn, the /quantity sown being two bushels to the acre. A thinner sowing .would give' better results. He considered bluestone as the most suitable pickle $o use in killing smut, and recommended that the wheat.be dipped in the sack, instead of spraying the grain on the floor. The wheat should be sown as soon as possible after pickling, as all pickles tended to lessen germination. He stated that tests oh eight farms in the Springs district had shown that manuring with phosphates gave an average of seven bushels to the acre more than tho unmanured crops. Feeding off wheat could be done advantageously in some cases provided a large enough mob were put on to eat the crop oif evenly and not left on long enough to interfere with the second growth. The speaker gave interesting details of experiments carried out at Lincoln College with reference to increasing the yields of the different kinds or wheat, the yield of College Hunters, one of the most generally grown varieties, having been increased by six bushels to the acre. At the conclusion of his address Dr. Hilgendorf was asked numerous- questions, and on the motion of Mr H. Mcintosh, seconded by Mr H. Banks, was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.