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N.Z. HAS BIG CHANCE IN SEED PRODUCTION

£1,000,000 a Year RIGHT STRAINS WOULD WIN ENGLISH MARKET PLEASANT PROSPECTS. That New Zealand lias a wonderful opportunity of capturing and holding the British, grass and clover seed markets .valued .at £1,000,000 annually, is the opinion of Mr. Win. Davies of the Aberystwyth Plant-hreeding station, who is at present attached: to the Palmerston North Plant Research station. ' ' ™ Mr. Davies recently made reference to this matter in a lecture broadcasted from Wellington by radio for the special information of farmers. During - the course of his talk, Mr. Davies' pointed out that at the present time, a large, sum of money was sent into foreign countries for grass ami cloyer seeds, • while within . the Empire there were unequalled facilities for producing all the annual, Imperial requirements. The British Isles and New Zealand were the biggest consumers of pasture-seeds. Great Britain spent £3,000,000 each year and New Zealand half that amount .but while New Zealand produced all it required and exported a small surplus, Great Britain brought in about onc-thiid of her annual requirements and a large proportion of the imports consisted of the expensive clovers. .Mr Davies contended that New Zealand should bid for that trade, which involved £.1,000,000, which at present went to foreign lauus. V.hile New Zealand in a .haphazard way at the present time did attempt to export to England certain quantities of red and white ciove::', dogstail, -diewings fescue and a small amount of cocksfoot, there was need for a systematic attempt to capture' and hold the market. Home Needs. In regard to grass' seeds, Britain needed a good sample, the right strain and a reasonable .and stable price. ..From research work; .one knew that wide variation'existed within any given species of grass or clover. Professor Stapleton had shown Conclusively that certain types within each species could be. fixed as being, specially suited as pasture plants. They had longer life and produced highly nutritious feed and more of it than other types. In New Zealand it had been revealed for instance that rye i'iom seed taken from certain North Island pastures lasted longer than the ivc from South Island, so much so, that” the South'lsland as a major seed producer, would have to .overhaul its ryegrass strains and produce a type more suitable for permanent pastures. From tests in the Old Country, certain things were, known about New Zealand seeds. Firstly, they knew they'co-uld get a splendid looking sample of high germination and parity but also that the bulk of the rye was not of the strain England was looking for. .In the case of cocksfoot, they knew’ the Akaroa type lasted better than the Danish but they : had not the supplies that they would have liked. In clover lay New Zealand’s biggest immediate hope in the production of seed to supply the Home markets. There was. a big demand for seed of the true Montgomery and true Cornish marl strains of red clever and New Zealand should take steps to supply that demand. In this country there were natural resources for producing excellent samples of clover seed.

In regard to white clover experience ;it Home had shown that there was no stsndarisalion of New Zealand white. There was undoubtedly an excellent type of id 1 paxtiue white Cover in New Zealand but there was also a considerable quantity of-.a type not suitable to English conditions and for exthis wrong type would have to be eliminated. If a sound Imperial seed trade was to be built up between New' Zealand and Great Britain, then strain must come to the forefront and be the basis of seed production.

Pedigree seed growing wcuicl have to become, a habit jiiEt as much as. pedigree live-stock breeding. Mr. Davies said he would put strain first. Then inuist come standarisation. The grower must have the certainty that he urns buying the right article' unrl assurance that .he is getting the st sa hi he is paying for. There was a splendid example of standarisation in Isew Zealand butter and the aim of the grass seed producer should be the same? New Zealand could easily produce a high quality seed—one could not imagine a better climate for highclass seed production coupled with heavy crops 1 as that to be found in parts.of Central Otago. Price Also Counts. Mr. Davies also mentioned the matter of price, stating that there was,no bigger deterrent to the development of high grade pastoral land in Britain at the present time than the high cost of special strains ol seed, notably the clovers. The important Kentish wild white clover was totally prohibitive at I.os to 15s per lb. . What was" wentt‘d was Kentish or its New Zealand equivalent at 2s per lb. and if .New Zealand put its nund to the business, the day was not far distant when good New Zealand grown white clover would be bought on the English market at a reasonable price. The same applied to other seeds. . 1

Summing up, Britain was not getting the strains she wanted and being a heavy buyer, it was up. to New Zealand

to capture and hold the English market. To do this on a sound, basis, primary consideration must be given to strain, to reliability of supplies and to correctness to label. Finally there must bo a standarisation of pricas. Plant breeding .stations will soon, have fixed the best pasture types but in the meantime a beginning' could be made with Aharon cocksfoot, old pasture, white clovc-r and the British strains of Montgomery and Cornish marl led clover.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/SNEWS19290621.2.14

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Shannon News, 21 June 1929, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
927

N.Z. HAS BIG CHANCE IN SEED PRODUCTION Shannon News, 21 June 1929, Page 3

N.Z. HAS BIG CHANCE IN SEED PRODUCTION Shannon News, 21 June 1929, Page 3

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