FARMING IN CANTERBURY

Press, Volume C, Issue 29514, 16 May 1961, Page 11

FARMING IN CANTERBURY

Indian Minister’s Visit

The Indian DeputyMinister of Food and Agriculture (Mr M. V Krishnappa). yesterday made a quick appreciation of farming practices In Canterbury, from dairy cows to potatoes. Accompanied by Mr W. V. Hadfield, assistant fields superintendent of the Department of Agrticulture in Christchurch, Mr Krishnappa began his day with a visit to Canterbury Agricultural College, where he was met by the principal <Dr M. M. Burns). After seeing the experimental block he visited the veterinary department. Where Dr. C. S. M. Hopkirk explained the eradication scheme for brucellosis in Christchurch town milk supply herds. The college carries out part of the diagnostic service for this scheme, which is a voluntary move by suppliers to eradicate and keep the disease. which causes undulant fever in human beings and contagious abortion in cattle, out of their herds. After seeing the college dairy unit. Mr Krishnappa visited the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research centre at Lincoln and discussed plant breeding and pasture improvement with scientists. In the afternoon he was taken to the Sheffield district and inspected the family property of the Dominion president of the Young Farmers’ Club movement (Mr P. G. Morrison). This is a mixed cropping and sheep farm. Mr Krishnappa was par-

ticularly interested in' crop rotation, whereby pasture and grazing replaced and built up soil fertility taken out by intensive cropping He compared this with areas in India where crops taken out of the same land year after year had badly depleted soil fertility. Mr Krishnappa told Mr Morrison that on his own farm in India he had about 500 sheep and also grew potatoes. His own sheep were more coarse-wooled than Mr Morrison’s, and he was impressed with the quality of the potatoes grown at Sheffield. Today Mr Krishnappa will visit the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company's freezing works at Belfast.