ORGANISING SEED GATHERING.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 126, 29 December 1915, Page 1

ORGANISING SEED GATHERING.

The following circular letter from 1 Sir James Wilson, president of the ] New Zealand Board of Agriculture, • has been sent to all Education boards, A. and I*. Associations and Farmers' Unions in the Do- i minion:—"l understand that you i have already been approached io ; connection with the gathering ot seeds by school children, and, I i beg to hand you copy ot an article ' on the subject which was published in the "Auckland Wsekly News." , Some of the Education Boards have already adopted the scheme. If your board haß not already done eo, and if it is willing to do so, it might arrange for the agricultural instructors to confer with Jthe committees and teachers as to the best way of interesting the children m the proposal, and instructing them as to which ot the grasses to collect, etc , and this in itself would be of conisderable educational value to tne children. The cordial co-operation of all concerned would be necetjsary to carry out the scheme successfully and the help of the school committees would be very necesaury, as well as that of boards, the agricultural instructors and he teachers. Perhaps if there is a branch of the Farmers' Union in the neighbourhood they might take the matter up as well, or any farmers in the neighbourhood, acting together, might assist the school committees after the seed bad been collected in one centre to have it cleaned, sold, and the money passed on to the education board of the district to be handed into the Patriotic Fund. The boards, however, will be in a much bf-tter position to gauge the necessities of the case than any individual, The most common grass on the roadside is cocksfoot, but in some district! meadow foxtail could be gathered in large quantities, and although the seed is light the price is high. Seed of Danthoni pilosa, too, is in great demand at a considerable price, and there is also the seedß of variuus native and imported trees which might be collected. I think your board realises to the fullest extent the momentous struggle we are engaged in, and that everyone in the community must be made to realise that it is only by the utmost united efforts that we shall be able to defeat our enemies. What in peace time might be considered too small a matter to be taken up hv educational authorities may be only one of the many we shall be forced to consider before this great struggle ends, and we earnestly ask the co-operation of yourselves and of any other body which can forward this scheme."