Posthumous Agricultural Award

Chronicle (Levin), 8 December 1948, Page 5

Posthumous Agricultural Award

CHRISTCHURCH, Dee. 7. The Bledisloe medal, awarded to a past student of- Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, for outstanding services to the primary industries, h.as been given posthumously this year to R. A. Calder, a former director of the agronomy division of the Departmenl of Scientific and Iiulustrial Research at Lincoln. The award was approved by the Canterbury Agricultural College Board of Governors at 'its monthly. meeting today when it was decided 1o 'present the medal to Mjs. Chlder on diploma day on December .14. Mr. Calder died 'on May 21 last at the age of 44. Tn 192G he joined the Department of Agriculture and beeame tlufirst agricultural instructor in Hc5ut.ii Canterbury. Later he went overseas to study and on his return he joined the 1'lant Research Station at Palmerston Nortli where, undei; the guidance of Air. J. W. Hadfield, now director of tlie agronomy division, he laid the founda tions of his future achievements in produCing improved varieties of fann crop's. To study the iatest overseas developments in plant breeding and selection, he went overseas again in 1937 and visited all leading instituti-ons in Great Britain and on the Cont.inent,. WhCn the Tlant Research Station beeame tlie-Plaitt Research Bureau, Mr. Calder was transferred to the agronomy division at Lincoln- where he = beeame successively assistant director, aetihg director and fmally director. Mr. Calder did valuable work with oats, peas and iueetne in addition to producing an impressive number of new improved varieties.. He wrote numerous articles for the New Zealand .Tournal' of Science and Technology and New Zealand Journal of Agricuiture. Hr