THE GRASS-SEED TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1503, 27 July 1912, Page 8

THE GRASS-SEED TRADE.

ABNOEuUALLY HIGH VALUES. Referring to the grass-seed trade, the annual report of tho late Minister for Agriculture has the following to say:— "Tho values of grass and clover seeds have been abnormally high during the year, and if the season had been favourable to burning bush country the prices would have reached an abnormal figure. Tho cocksfoot harvest on the whole has been a favourable quo, but would have been much moro satisfactory had the weather conditions been favourable. Tho high prices' ranging at the beginning of tho season stimulated the conserving of a considerable area of cocksfoot pasture I'pr seed .-purposes, not only in what is generally termed tho cocksfoot district of Canterbury, but in many other portions of New Zealand, both m the North and South Islands. The bad weather occurring during the harvest led to a very large amount of the high, weight and the test seed being lost through sheaves having to rejnnin on the ground longer than they should have done. This is the reason why- 1912 southern cocksfoot is considerably lighter in bushel weight than in ordinary years—in .fact, it can safely be said that large areas of Banks Peninsula have "been unintentionally sown with 171b and 181b. seed. The colour naturally suffered, owing to the wet weather, but the germination appears to be quite as satisfactory as in more favourable seasons. The rye-grass crop, though perhaps satisfactory as to bulk, is in many places of an inferior quality. Especially true is this, of that- grown in the ijandon district, where the wet weather appears to have caused very considerable damage to. the crop so far as germination is concerned. The high prices offered by merchants for this season's crested dog-tail led to a considerablo impetus being given to the cultivation of this grass for seed purposes in the Palmerston North district. Unfortunately, owing to the very large Irish crop, which has been estimated at anything from 250 to 500 ton* - , dogstail is today one of the cheapest grasses on the English market. This year's Now Zealand dogstail ,is unfortunately on the dark side in colour, but experiments that have been carried out'by the Department of Agriculture show, that it has suffered in no respect so far as germination is concerned—that is, of samples that hayo been properly machine-dressed. This is very satisfactory, inasmuch ■as dogstail is a ■seed which can ba held for mefre than one season 'without deteriorating to any. serious extent. The past season has been an abnormal one for the growth of clovers of all kinds, but the yield of seed will be- low. The reason for this is generally attributed to the weather restricting the working of the bees; and it is probablo that this is correct.