IMPORTANT RESEARCH

Hokitika Guardian, 31 March 1927, Page 4

IMPORTANT RESEARCH

NUTRITIVE VALVE OF I’AS'I URF.S. WELLINGTON. .March 29. New Zealand primary producers: will wru'i with interest the investigation . Meh tire Dep.it t meets of Agriculture ml si i ,• 'V and 1 mln•;rial lie-ear: :. in <• ■n : 11 with th" ev- U Ins; iY: . : : i ameli. .V. w a: ihe Depart nielli r.f Agrieuh " ! sePi now si til I .act! at R ' - r:r> v. id, • > ns ling to an an noun meal made !,v the Minister of Acne lure (ike Hwi (). ,). llawken) to-day. proceed to the Rowell Institute next ini-lit Ii io undergo six mouths’ special ! raining. list abh'shed some four years ago. lb, Rowetl Institute, in its researches concerning the growth of domestic stock, lias made some notable discoveries. chiefly with respect to sheep, pigs, fouls, production of eggs, etc. The director of the institute is Dr .T. 11. Orr, who lias associated with him Captain Klliott. Secretary of State tor Scotland, and chairman of the Umpire .Marketing Hoard, and Professor T. 11. Wood, Dean of the Faculty ol Agriculture at Cambridge ITiiver.sity.

The scheme of research at present in t train relates to the mineral content Ii of pastures and if has the support of the i h’mpire .Marketing Hoard, which has r made a grant towards the work. The ■■ rheme provides that as much as possible of l 1 11 ■ work will 3)0 done in countries where the pasture problem is being investigated. Kenya, liritish Hast Africa. Palestine. Australia and New < Zealand, and such technical works as • cannot be done there will be performed ! at the itowett Institute. r l o ensure that the data from tile different parts of the Mmnire will lie comparable, il is necessary that the analytical methods., and. as far as |>’\ssih|o, the experimental methods einpl ;yed at the different centres should he uniform, and the insiitule authorities consider it desirable I f lirit one of the chemists and one of the workers engaged in the feeding j te-is should have training for six ; months at the same laboratory where I ihe oilier workers have been trained, and that that (raising should include a study of the information already accumulated. Mr Grimmett will attend the Rowct.t Institute on behalf of New Zealand, and. later. Mr T. lligg. chemist to the Cawthron Institute, will vi.sit tlie institute. proceeding by wav of the Knifed States. Details of the scheme of work show that the first step is an analysis of samples of pastures, and where considered advisable, of soils, to determine the mineral content of pastures in certain areas and in different seasons. Next is the correlation of the minerals with the other constituents mid with the nutritive value of the pasture as determined by its carrying capacity and the health rate and growth and j production of the animals grazing on it. The third stage relates to feeding , tests to determine file effect of feeding to the grazing animals mixtures of mineral salts or foodstuffs rich in min- ( orals found to be deficient in the pastures. Fourthly, there will he experi- ] incuts to determine whether and to what extent the information obtained under the foregoing heads ran lie used for the improvement ol pastures. „