BOARD OF AGRICULTURE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 20, 18 October 1918, Page 8

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE

I IMPORTANT MATTERS CON- ! SIDERED. iThe Board of Agriculture paid a isit to the Wcraroa Stnte Farm on fednesday,-October 9, and after a ireful inspectiou had'a long conferice (With Dr. Reakes, Director-General i Agriculture, and discussed a mmiir of questions bearing on the policy jd best lino of work to be adopted at (e farm in the future. .;•' 'The board' also held a length meet's .the following day, when they dis-

cussed the best means to be adopted to reduce tho number of rabbits i» various' parts of the Dominion. A number of proposed amendments to the Rabbit Nuisance Act were considered, including some calculated to meet the special circumstances that had arisen in ■ some parts of the North Island. It was hoped that tho Government might be able to pass these during the coming session.

•' Tho question of noxious weeds also came up for discussion. A number of amendments dealing particularly with tho list of weeds in tho schedules of tho present Act were adopted with a view to embodying them in a draft amending Bill to bo reconsidered.'at a futuro meeting, before being submitted to the Minister of Agriculture for his consideration.

In view of the action of the Government in the matter of securing next season's corn sacks for distribution throughout the Dominion at a uniform price, the question was raised ■• as. to the desirableness of doing the same .with regard to wool packs, but it was finally agreed to make further inquiries to ascertain whether it was necessary to adopt such a course. An inquiry about' supplying farmers with standardised pliers for ear-mark-ing stock was deferred until a report was received from the committee appointed to consider the best method cf ear-marking. A number of resolutions forwarded by the Council of Agriculture dealing with rural'• education, hydro-electric power, "depletion of native timbers, training' 'cf New Zealand soldiers in England 'n agricultural work, foot rot in sheep, ,:rj rofc in turnips, sheep dipping mixtures, and railway facilities in connection with agricultural shows wore adopted. The board discussed most of these questions with the Director-General cl' Agriculture, when steps were taken .in the direction of endeavouring to give effect to the wishes of the conference, and to forward the others to the Ministers controlling the various matters.

A letter was received dm wing attention to the enormous quantities of whale feed which occasionally occurred in the southern coastal waters of. New Zealand, and suggesting that the board should make inquiries about' the Quality of some of this whale feed during the-coming summer, and have it analysed, when if the analysis was satisfactory and proved the feed to he of any manuriol value, arrangements might be made to obtnin a., quantity of it for the benefit of farmers and local manufacturers in New Zealand.

■ The board had made inquiries, and ascertained that Mr. G'.-M. Thompson, ;of Dunedin, had already been making •some- research into this matter, and that he had reported that for some reason or other this ''whale feed" has been scarce for the past two or three years, and that, during the past nine months not a solitary specimen had been seen in this locality, though they would probably turn up again some da'y in billions.

A. further communication was received stating that Japan had a large tonnage of Soya bean me3l which could he used as a manure, and that Hie New Zealand manure merchants stated that if the analysis of this was r.s good as reported they could take considerable quantities of it in the great dearth of manure existing in New Zealand at the present time. But as Soya bean cake was' also iised as food for animals it might be liable to a Customs duty of 30 per cent, if brought in under that heading, whereas if allowed in as manure it would he duty free. As the matter was one of great importance to farmers the board was requested to rommunicate with the Comptroller of Customs on the subject. After some discussion the Direc-tor-General of Agriculture, Dr. Reakes, arranged to make further inquiries in the matter, and to advise the board at the next meeting regarding it.