FARM PROBLEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 13 March 1931, Page 7

FARM PROBLEMS

PROGRESS OF RESEARCH. WEEDS, SOILS AND PASTURES. WELLINGTON, March 10. I lie progress of research operations tinder the direction of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research was briefly summarised by the chairman, Mr George H. Shirt-cliff, at the council’s recent meeting. An introduced parasite of the ragwort, Myria jacobea,’’ has been successfully established in a number of aie.is in the North and South Islands, and is attacking the weed over an extensive area. Hie committee in charge of this work lias recommended the liberation of “Apion ulieis’’ fn specified localities in order more speedily to overcome difficulties of acclimatisation, and this season its capacity to multiply under New Zealand conditions should be known. On e consignment lias already bred through two generations. The report added that regular and abundant consignments of parasites to deal with ragwort gors e and blackberry ai'e still being received from Farnham Royal, and a similar arrangement to introduce Pirj-piri parasites from Chile is working well.

MINERAL CONTENTS OF PASTURES.

Success in the treatment of stockgru/.ing on bush-sick pastures by the use of carbonate of iron licks was reported. This treatment is expected to prove efficacious over a considerable portion of the central North Island pumice area, and also over land in the Poverty Ray and Northern Hawkes Ray districts. Persistent treatment ot bush-sick soil at Mamakau with basic slag combined with superphosphate appears to be combating stock trouble, ami enables medicinal dosing of the stuck to be avoided.

file investigation of chemical coinposition ol pastures in the Nelson district is continuing, and a valuable supply of data is becoming available which will enable farm practice to be modi-

fied with resultant improved returns.

In tile soil reconnaisance work, the survey of a large area extending from the Taupo railway line west to Te Awamutu has been completed, and already it has been possible to provide valuable advice where the soil has been suspected of being responsible for stock sickness, and to be of doubtful value for settlement.

I>AIRY RESEARCH. As ;i result of further negotiations, the finances for the Dairy Research Institute for the current year have been stabilised, and the additional grant received from the Empire Marketing Board will be devoted particularly to the solution of cheese problems. This work is being pursued by the institute staff in collaboration with the Hawera and Hamilton laboratories. Regular •shipments of cheese processed by different methods are being sent to Eng* land for inspection by experts, Efforts are also being made to improve butter quality, and trial shipments have been arranged of butter possessing a higher flavour than that common to the exported product. “This trial should give guidance as to the possibility of the Dominion being able to place on the market a butter possessed of a flavour which will render it more palatable to the English taste, and thus enable it to better compete against Danish and Continental supplies,” Good progress has been made with a number of investigations into the nutritive value of cheese protein and its vitamin efficiency, and the effect of certain diets on the animal consuming them.