AUCTION SALES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 93, 14 January 1919, Page 8

AUCTION SALES

•. FOETnoonnro FIXTUBES. \ " V.;'~:TO-DAY. Wakefield Street;-' Wellington, 10.30 a.m.— Sale of building material. (K. Johnston and Co.). .'. . levin Yards. 12.15 p.m.-Stock aa!o' (N.Z. Loan Co., Abraham and Williams, and DaJgoty and C 0.).-'• Soldiers' 01ub,;6ydhey Street, Wellington, i p.m.—Fnrnltura sale (S. G. Nathan and Co.)."'"' ■". TO-JIOBBOW., , . Orinzi Homestead, Dannevirke, 11 a.m.— Btud sheep Balo (William 3 and Kettle, Ltd.). . ' " 'J- ' Colombo Eoad Tarda, Mastorton, 11 a.m.— Cattle sale CVTriftt; and CO.). •" Mr. P. Waldmanja Farm,- Kaitnna. Pongaroa, 1.30 p.m.—Sals of stock (Wairarapa Partners'). . • ' • ■ ' Swanson Street, AnoMand, 2 p.m.—Salo of hotel (Kobert)o.:Carr,and Son). . Drill Hall, Fetldlng,-2.30 p.m.—Sale of farm property (Levin and , Co.' and Victor Smith). Brandon -Streot,, Wellington, 2.30 H-m.-Olty property.' sale • (Abraham and Wllliatas). .. Featherston Street,. Wellington, 2.30 p.m.— Sale of bity; and-'suburban propertiea (Botlrane..'&n4 Co.), 151 Larabton-Quay;..:Wellington, 2.30 p.m.— Bala Jsf'-snmjlliail.,,sections (A. L. Wil-> soipSid Cci.)."' : -- •' "THTJE-SDAI'. . .. levin Ygjds,' 1 p.m.—Oattlo and horso sale (Dalgety and 00., and Wrleht, Stephenson and Oo.).; WHEATJDISEASES . " ;... ' INVESTIGATIONS IN PROGRESS DAMAGE CAUSED BY A FUNGOID Mr. C. Branigan, Government Fields Inspector';. Ashburtoii, .wKo accompanied Mr. <Jockayj»,* tf Government' • Biologist, on a tour' of .investigation amongst .the affected wheat .'crops in [the, Asliburton County oil Tuesday,' informed, a reporter that in most' of -tho'farms' visited ' they liad . discovered .. signs of. tho disease in various /stages. . As far as could be learne^ -from-the,present investigation, the damage to most of the wheat had been "caused by a fitngoid which attacked the'iwlieat at the root and worked lip to'-.tho 1 first joint. A close inspection ,of a diseased stall: ' sliowed that near'the joint it liad a yellowish appearance, and in windy weather the straw snapped off at this point and fell flat on the ground. In walking through an affected'field the straw soon gathered in wisps round the legs.' The investigations .had also shown that the damage was in most instances confined to Solid Straw Tuscan wheat, while other varieties appeared to be more or less immune. Mr. Branigan said that some of the Solid Straw Tuscan crops were badly affected, and one farmer at Lauriston considered he would. lose fully onethird of his yield. y lt had also been reported that the disease had appeared in some of the oat crops. Mr. Braiiigan wa3 now engaged on a tour of inspection over all the grain-growing areas in. the county with a view to arriving at an approximate estimate of the damage. Oil Thursday ho visited the Methven district, and discovered that the disease had also mado its appearance in that'locality, but so far only in a'mild'fonn. The wheat there was,very green, at present, but, as it ripened, the disease . would probably become more; acute. Mr. Branigan still had several districts to visit before a full report could bo prepared. It was possible that the investigations might open up tho question of pure seM. Some banners .'had this. season ■sown Tuscan which'' was guaranteed absolutely pure. " Thesn areas would be carefully watched, and if they proved to be immune from the fungoid'it would provide a 'strong lever in favour of sowing the very best seed. At tho 'present time a number of formers did, not bestow any great amount of caro in-tho class of wheat sown.- which, no doubt, in tho end all helped to woaken-'itho variety and make it "run out." '.VAt tho present juncture, however, itTwas premature to speculate as to whether tho disease was intensified through weakness in the seed, but Mr Cockayne was collecting all information possible both here and in North Canterbury, and his reports will be ' looked for with'great interest by wheatgrowers'.;

A fanner in the Ashburton County states that possibly .investigation will show that the disease in the wheat >* not nearly so actito in fields that had been previously sown in rape., The present was no r.ew thinjr in the county, .and when growing'wheat in the Flemington district some years apo he had noticed it in a mild form in his crops. He firmly believed that the rape crops hao a tendency to destroy the fungoid in the soil, and his experi-' ence had shown, tlat wheat followiii" rape yielded'much better.' A crop growing in the .Greeiist-rept proved ths statement. A portion of the paddock had been sown in rape, and nn this'pnrt of the land the wheat following the rape wo\iia yield bushels more 'than the ether.