HOROWHENUA SOILS.

Shannon News, 19 September 1924, Page 2

HOROWHENUA SOILS.

HAVE HIGH lODINE CONTENT. Recently Mr G. L, Adkih, ol Upper Queen Street, Levin, whose knowledge of the geology of tnis district lias received Dominion-wide recognition, received a. request from Professor W. M. Benson of Otago University, who is at present engaged in researches into the incidence of goitre, lor samples or soil lrom this district. It has -been-found that one of the'contributing factors tq the prevalence of goiL re, is the lack o.f iodine in /certain soils. Professor Benson wrote that the only two samples of the soil of , this district on hand at the University (one taken from the Boys’ Training Farm, and the other from Shannon) showed ah unusually high'iodine content. As these samples had apparently both been taken from rich land, lie asked for representative samples from the different formations to be found in the district, with a view to ascertaining if the whole of the soif were as fortunate in its goitre-preventing properties as those samples which had been examined. A remark contained in tlbe letter is of interest as presenting a little considered aspect of this district’s production. It was to the effect that the Manawatu was the garden of Wellington—the source whence the vegetables, milk, butter, and eggs for the city were derived, and that if the whole of the country were as fortunate in its soil as shown by the samples in hand, the fact would undoubtedly prove beneficial to Wellington as far as goitre was concerned. Mr Adkin has forwarded the samples asked for. and the analysis will be awaited with interest.