FIELD OFFICERS CONFER

Chronicle (Levin), 29 June 1946, Page 6

FIELD OFFICERS CONFER

PLANS FOR EXTENSION OF WORK ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS A conference of Fields Division . Officers engaged in agrieultural advisory and investigation work in the Wellington Fields ■ Superintendent 's distriet, eovering the southern half of the North Island and including the provinces of Taranaki, Wellington, Hawko'a Bay and Poverty Bay, was lield. in Palmerston North during the week, eomniencing on Tuesday and lasting to Friday. This was the lirst conference since 1940, and as war years saw considerable changes in personnei and as a uumber of returned servicenien have recently joined the staft', the. conference was inainly concemed with discussion of plans for the resumption and extension of the normal work of the Fields Division in this distriet. Mosi oliicers liad been engaged on vegetable production and otlier work directly concerned with war production. The "normal work of the Fields Division officers stationed at various centxes throughout the area is that of advising farmers in regard to all matters coneerning farm management, farm devolopinent and improvenleut, including specific advice regarding pastures,

crops, fertilisers, seeds and seed production, subdivision and stocking, drainage, weed control, equipment and maehiuery, and all those other items that go to make up efficient and economical production. With the in structor of today, it is not a inatter of tclliiig a fanner what lie could do it' lie had plenty of money but ratlier one of helping by discussion of ways and means, in a practical way 011 the farm, to make porhaps better use of labour and expenditure whicli the fanner is able to or intends to put into auy particular job he lias in mind. A greai deal of the iaformation a' good instructor or advisory officer can bring to a fanner is, of eourse, obtained in th ; ■•our.se of his visits to and discussions wit'li otlier farmers in his own and in other districts throughout the countrv.

Ex-ervicemen Officers 8ome 1 3 Jield officers from as far alicld as New Plymouth 011 tiro wesl coast to Gisborne 011 the cust eoast, allended the conference for thfee and ahalf days. C. J. Hamblyn, Fields Huperiiitendent, Palmerston North, being chairman of the various meetings. Mr. J. M. .Smith, director of the Fields Division, at one time a weil known instructor in agriculture at New Plymojith, gave a comprehensive outline of "ihe post-war development aims of tlie department in regard to extension work to farmers and indicated that in addition to four recently appointed exservicemen the staff would bo augmented in the near future by furthcr addition of sorvicemen who, because of war disabilities couid not return to farming but wero at prcsent being given a course at one or other of the agricultural collcges under the liehabilitation .Sclienie to lit them for the work of the division. Provision was also being niade for a quota of agriculture degree men passing through the colleges. Specialist ^Visitors . The conference was "also attehded' by a 'iiumber of officers from Wellington and the newly developed fertiliser r«search station at Hamilton, all of whom coiitributed to the discussion of plans for the furtlierance of the lield advisory work aud investigational work of the department. Amongst these was Mr. J. II. Claridge, agronomist to the department, who is in chargc of seed certilication and farm seed and plant introduction generally, aud Mr. S. 11. Saxbv, agrostologist, who is a specialist in pastures and was specially interested in discussions on hill country problems. Mr. It. E. Grimmett, director of tlie Soil Fertility Kesearch Station i,t Hamilton," together with Dr. E. Davies, a research officer from the station, outJined the basic research work on soils and fertilisers being undertaken at tlie station for the benelit of farmers. Dr. Davies also demonstrated the use of soiiic recently developed chemical lield kits, designed by lxiui, and whicli are being niade up for the use of instructors to cnable them to rapidly asscss tlie carbonate of lime content of limestone deposits and of grouud lime samples as supplied to farmers. Anui lier kitset whicli provides an in, structor with a quick and rcliable method of linding tlie lime rcquiremeiit of a soil and tlie p.li. value aS a clieck to experiuiciital work in the field, was- also deiiionstrated. This kitset is also being niade avuilable to instructors. A furthcr kitset whicli has been developed in the United States for use niainiy on niaize, and which is being adapted by Dr. Davies for use on pastures for tlie

estimation of available phospliate, potasli and nitrogen in tlie soil was oi great intercst to the iustructors wlio, n is anticipated, wlicn the method is applied to pastures and crops in New Zealand, will be able to use these Jiclu tests to advantage in advising farmers in manuring problems. ' Weedkillers Unpromising The po.ssibilities of new chemicai weedkillers, a nuiuber of whicli have, in recent years, * been advocated from overscas (both in America and Greai Britain) as methods for controllin'g many typcs of weeds, wero discusseo with the cliemistry and otlier research workers. Frcliminary triuls with alJ lypes of tlicso wecdicidos so far avaiiadlc, ure not very proinisinu with such

old enemics of thc fanner a-s blackbcrry and gorse tliough ragwort, and to a lesscr cxtent, Californian thistlc, may mect more tlian thcir match in oue or other of ihe new weed killers. The conference also discussed with Mr. P. Lynch, lield "crop experimcntalist, many lines of lield cxperimental and demonstration work mainly concerneu with pastures, this type of work being most important in the North Islami. Tlie question of tlie relativc importance of various cxperimental projects was I fullv discussed, it being folt that in j the past, rather too mucli attention had i been directed to the problems of the ! flat country aiul lowlands and that more i time should be put into hill country problems by both instrUctors and 1 specialist officers of the department. The .Tournal of Agriculture and lts production wa's dcalt with by Mr. Owen, the editor, who looked to iustructors for a considerable umount oi tlie subjeet matter and ilJustrations producod in the journal. Tlie need for better equipment by way of modern cameras and photographic material generally, was a prohiinent fcature of the discussion. Seed Certilication Seed certilication including method.s of improving the quality of seed produeed on the farm in rcspect to germination aiid purity and also thc quantity, was discussed witli tlie Seed ment is being niade this coming season with a scheme whereby crops* gro'wn from liigh grade mothcr sccd at an elevation of upwards of 1000 feet in these counties, may be entered foi certilication' as comnicrcial seed. Young Farmers' Clubs Young Farmers ' Clubs and- ihe service given to the organisatiou by the Fields' Division officers in tlieir capacity of distriet secretaries throughout the. area, were discussed with the Dominiou organising secretary, Mr. S. Freemati, who advised that as a result of a year's work in reorganisation after tlie war, the number of clubs was now 22 '3 for the Domiuion with Auckland and Wellington c'ouncils lcading, eaeh having 74 clubs and Canterbury 40, and Otago -9. The opportuuity of the visit to Palmerston North, was takou to iuspoct the Seed Testing Station where Mr. Nelson Foy, tlie officer in cliarge, explained tlie details of the many opcrations concerned with the testing of seeds for purity aud germination. The Grassland Division of the Scientifie and Industrial Eeseareh Department, was also inspected and tlie visitors wero shown the development of strains of all types of grasses, and clovcrs by thc officers of the station.