FIELD EXPERIMENTS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10134, 7 December 1910, Page 3

FIELD EXPERIMENTS.

I ASSUMING IMPORTANCE. According to the annual report of the Agricultural Department, the experiments and demonstrations that are undertaken are carried out by th" formers themselves, with the direction of specially appointed officers of this Division, are rapidly assuming importance, and embrace a wide range of operations. Their purpose is to take the field and the experiment station to the farmer, to demonstrate the subjects of agriculture in which interest is manifested, and specially to exhibit the merit of plants, and crops, and methods that are recognizable as valuable. Experiments have dealt, for instance, with the top-dressing of pastures, the application of fertilizers, and the use of maizo for fodder in dairy districts where this valuable crop for summer feed for cows was not appreciated. Particularly careful efforts are also being made to introduce lucerne wherever it is possible. It is realized that the possession of a plot of lucern should be of the greatest value to the dairy farmer, particularly at the time of' tiie .year m summer when the succulence of the grass is ; is past and the milk-yield diminishing. In other districts the greater returns from suitable vai'ieties _ of grain have been brought to notice. The investigation of the qualities of the wheat known as "Solid Straw Tuscan" is an example of the work of the officers dealing with crop and field experiments. It was shown that this wheat was a most profitable variety, and it'yields well, resists disease, withstands unfavourable climatic conditions, and, taking milling tests by 100 points, it is credited with. 84. Particulars of this investigation rwill be published later. The same attention is directed to the root crops that are of such para-. mount importance throughout the farming and.grazing districts. • Tests of "fertilizers as affecting the I stock-carrymg capacity of pastures are in progress, the proof being the condition and the actual stock carried on the treated lands, i Officers are in requesi to visit"and advise farmers on the treatment of special soils that present difficulties that are unusual. The supervision of trials of proprietary preparations for noxiousweed destroyers is also carried out by these officers, as well as the more useful work of the observation of promising varieties of seeds 'and of plants. The collection and preparation of cereals and-other agricultural products for exhibition abroad have been confided to the officer who is operating in the South Island. A duplicate of an exhibit that was forwarded to London attracted great attention at the Departmental exhibits at the j winter shows of the agricultural and j pastoral associations.