BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 February 1917, Page 2

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.

THE LAST MEETING. The Board of Agriculture met last (Week in Wellington, and the following is an abbreviation of the official report of the proceedings:— The question of a minimum price of wheat tor next year was discussed at some length, and it was agreed to write to the Minister of Agriculture on the subject. A letter was received from a member of the Military Service Board stating that a number of farmers who were drawn in the ballot for military service more especially in the back country, had frequently to dispose of their farms —"in numerous cases they sell at a considerable loss"—and pointing out that there is danger in these circumstances of aggregation. The opinion was expressed that it would be much more fair to these men if the Government were, to purchase their properties for settlement by returned soldiers. The feeling of the Appeal Board in question was that some steps should be taken to find out the minimum number of men required for the industry, as well as a census of the number available. In connection with this point the board thought that some special inquiry should be made in the case of the small farmer working his awn land without paid help, for in many cases the income .from the farm would be' insufficient to pay the cost of hired labor. The board decided to endorse the suggestion contained in the letter, and to forward it on to the Hon. Minister of Defence.

A long conference with 'Mr. Aston, agricultural chemist, took place in connection witli some proposals that had been made to the hoard regarding the supply of potash. After the matter had been fully discussed it wa3 decided to recommend that the Department should make enquiries as to the practicability of utilising wood ashes from sawmills for manurial purposes; also to ascertain whether anything could be done to obtain potash, iodine, etc., from the seaweeds on the New Zealand coast.

The question of requesting manure vendors to follow the terminology of the Fertilisers, to which attention' had been drawn by the North Canterbury Executive of the NZ. Farmers' Union was fully discussed, as was also the question of amending the Fertilisers Act to safeguard the purchaser of fertilisers, and to give full credit to the vendor for the different forms in whioh phosphoric acid occurs in fertilisers, in connection with which Mr. W. D. Hunt. a member of the board, had provided, a detailed report. A committee of the l)oard was set up to confer with the Department in the matter.

The board also considered the regulations in regard to the carriage of lime for agricultural purposes on the railways, in respeet of ( whieh a nport had been drawn up by Mr. Hunt, After : lengthy discussion it was decided t< write to the Taranaki Executive of tl>c New Zealand Farmers' Union, asking that body for information as to the cost of sea-borne lime to farmers in its district, so that further representations could be made to the Railway Department on the subject of the 'concession granted by H in the carriage of agrieiltural lime.

Amongst other matters dealt with were the duty on timber imparted from •Fritish possessions for box-making p Ur . poses; the srgfjested prohibition of Hie expert if white pine timher, and the publication of the results of agricultural experiments, etc.