Board of Agriculture.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 19 October 1917, Page 3

Board of Agriculture.

The secretary of the Board forwards as the following report of the last meeting:— The Beard of Agriculture held sevlengthy meetings last week at w*ich important matters concerning tifk agricultural and pastoral industry were discussed. There was a large attendance of members, and the President (Sir James G. Wilson) was in the chair.

The question of the shipping and storage space for meat and dairy produca and other matters were fully gone into with the Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald, Minister of Agriculture, who was present at the meeting. Export of meat: It was pointed out that although the latest sheep returns ■how a large increase in the North Island, there has been a heavy mortality amongst hoggets, and the lambing in many districts is much below the average, which would probably do away with a considerable percentage of the surplus, yet tin Board thought it would be in the interests of the country that farmers should be advised that owing to the shortage of ■hipping it would probably not be practicable to freeze and find space for all the stock coming to hand, and to urge them to provide winter feed wherever possible to rear any lambs that might be left over. It was also decided to recommend that farmers should retain the best of their long woolled ewe lambs for breeding parposes; and that arrangement should be made to tin a number of second claaa fat old ewes, and in order that this might be done to request the Government to make enquiries as to the possibility of securing a good supply of British or American tin plates for the purpose. The Board also recommended that, to ensure the freezing space being occup.ed to the fullest extent with the primest meat, it was desirable that the Inspectors passing the meat purchased by the Imperial Government should be more strict as to the quality, so that only finished animals should be killed and sent Home. Price of sheepskins: A member of ths Board called attention to the fact that butchers and farmers were complaining that the prices they were receiving for sheepskins was under that arranged for with the Imperial Government, and it was decided to request the Minister to make inauiries as to whether some steps could not be taken to remedy the complaint. Stud and Flock Books: The Board met a number of representatives from the Clydesdale Horse Society, the Draught Horse Stud Book Canterbury, the North Island Sheep Breeders' Association. and tfce Romney Marsh Sheep Breeders' Association, an-1 consulted with them as to the possibilitj of arranging for an amalgamation of the various Breed Societies in the Dominion so that there will not be more than one Association for any one breed; and of forming a National Live-Stock Association for .New Zealand. After a lengthy discussion it was decided to refer the question of adopting uniform rules, anJ one or two other points to tbe Councils of the respective Associations for tseir approval. On receipt uf replies, should the matter warrant it, a further meeting of delegates from the societies interested would be held in Wellington to endeavour to come to a final decision. It was also agreed that the conference of all Breed Associations to consider the matter of the formation of a National Live-stock Association should be deferred, penoing the adjustment of the question of rules, etc.

Exportation of inferior stud sheep: The Board also diseusaed the advis ablenesa of the Government taking powers to prohibit the exportation of inferior stud sheep, and arrangements were made to obtain a report from the Department of Agriculture as to the best method of coping with this' trouble. Collection of shesp statistics: A number of suggestions were received from Mr E. Hardcastle, Agricultural Editor of the Christchurch Weekly Press, in regard to the date of collecting sheep statistics, pointing out that if the statistics could be obtained earlier in the season, farmers would have a better idea as to whether it was desirable to retain more ewe lambs and ewes suitable for breeding instead of killing and freezing them, and prices would then automatically rule the position. It was decided to communicate with the Government Statistician and to ascertain how far itVould be practicable to give effect to this suggestion under the present stress of work entailed on that Department in consequence of the war. Wool packs: It was reported that the wool packs required by the sheep owners would probably arrive in the' ! Dominion in time for the present season's shearing. Elecirieity on Crops: A report was received from Mr E. Parry, Chief Electrical Engineer, Public Works Department, with regard to the application of electricity to the stimulation of crops and the results obtained by Professor Blackman, Profesßor of Plant Physiology, arid Pathology, South Kensington, for which a special grant bad been made by the Development Commissioners in England. It vras stated that in 1916, an increase of about 50 per cent, in grain and 85 per cent, in straw on a crop of oats was obtained as a result from overhead electrical discharge. Mr Parry, however, doubted whether the gain "to be obtained would be so great in New Zealand as in England, where they had much less sunshine than there is in this country; but he expressed the opinion that there was no doubt a field for its application to the stimulation of sppcial crops such a3 garden crops and frait, and hoped to be able to arrangements for testing the application of this method to the purpose named. Amongst other matters dealt with were the High Commis doner's Weekly Market Cable; ear marking and brand ing of stock; "draft" on wool; the in - portation of grass seeds; organisation of female labour for farm work; prices for next season's buttnr and cheese;

rural boosing; the Scott Kilburn Process for direct fixation of atmospheric nitrogen; and development of the poultry industry. The wheat qupstion: A Committee of the Board later met the Chairman of the Board of Trade and again discussed the wheat question. It was arranged that after the Board of Trade h*d made an exhaustive enquiry into the question in the S-uth island, a joint meeting of the two Bar Is s-hould be held for the purpose of giving the matter full consideration.