MANY VISITORS

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20739, 24 February 1939, Page 8

MANY VISITORS

FIELD DAY AT RUAKURA ADDRESS by dr. h. e. annett VALUE OF EXPERIMENTS Representatives of the New Zealand Dairy Board, of Farmers’ organisations throughout the Waikato, officials of the Department of Agriculture and others gathered at the Ruakura Farm of ro-day to study the progress made in experimental work being carried out there. particularly that directed towards 'solving the problems relating to facial eczema in sheep and cattle. Among those present were the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. XXL Lee Martin, and Messrs C. A. Rarrell, M.P. Hamilton). XXL S. Goosman. M.P. XX’aikafo' and J. M. Allen. M.P. TTaurakP .

The visitors were welcomed by Mr A. H. Cockayne, Director-General of Agriculture, who stated that, the function had been arranged chiefly at the desire of the New Zealand Dairy Board whose members had expressed the wish to view the developments taking place at Ruakura. The opportunity was welcomed by the department which was also gla«i fo welcome representatives of other farmers’ organisations. There would be little necessity for lengthy addresses during the day, since Ruakura would largely speak for itself.

Farmers’ Advisory Committee

Speaking on the co-operative effort being made at Ruakura with the assistance -of the farmers’ advisory committee, Dr. H. E. Annett said that the committee had been formed about a year ago to encourage closer association between XVaikato farmers and the department. Research into facial eczema had been centred on Ruakura and the committee, which now consisted of 10 people, met quarterly. As a result of these meetings the members were able to keep fully in touch with the work being done at Ruakura by the investigating officers of the department.

Ruakura had only recently begun

tc come into its own, said Dr. Annett. since only recently had adequate staff and equipment, been secured. In the past, however, the farm had done very good work, particularly in the courses provided for farmers.

Work of Greater Value

To-day the institution was served by a very fine type cf young scienti- j fl' vrfrker, some of whom had already 1 Euirpean reputations in their parti ular spheres. Already the work they had done was proving of the g'C'&Lest value in the attack upon 1 frrrring problems. The association i too. of practical farmers with these scientific workers in the farmers’ adv so: y committee had proved of the g ee f er>t benefit, not merely in the act nl research work being done, but in be directing of such work in the rros useful channels.

.V present, too, there was a wcakn??-. m translating the findings of a scientific worker into terms easily u it) rstaridable by the average farmer, bt such a direct’on the farmers’ adv so - y committee and similar bodies C)uli be particularly useful.

O i behalf of the committee. Dr. Anr/'tt paid a tribute to the way in which the committee had been be? ed by the staff at Ruakura. The obsl of feeling had always characterised their relations. Inspection of Areas Departmental officials present in-c-uded Mr A. H. Cockayne, director-gcr.-ral of agriculture; Mr E. J. Faw<eit, assistant director-general; Dp. J. F. Filmer, officer in charge of facial eczema research; Mr R. B. Tennent, director of the fields division; Mr P. XXL Smallfield, fields superintendent, Auckland province; C. M. Hume, superintendent of the Dairy Board s Herd Jesting Department; Mr A. L. Thompson, veterinarian; Mr C. E. Ballinger, assistant experimentalist; Mr T. E.

Rodda, farm manager; Mr E. R. Marryatt, fields instructor; and Dr. J. C. Mellroy, chemist.

Farmers’ organisations were represented by members of the Dairy Board, including the chairman, Mr XXL E. Hale and Messrs. A. Linton, A. J. Murdoch, J. Dunlop, C. Marchant and T. C. Booth (secretary) and by members of other farmers’ bodies, including Messrs XXL Marshall, deputy chairman of the New Zealand Co-opera-tive Dairy Company, G. T. Crawley, president of the XX’aikato sub-provin-cial executive of the Farmers 1 Union, A. Blackmore, president of the Thames Valley executive of the Farmers’ Union, XXL L. Ranstead. secretary of the XX'aika’to Agricultural and Pastoral Association, E. F. Peacocke, counties’ representative on the research advisory committee, Mervyn Wells, of Cambridge, and Farmers’ Union members from all neighbouring districts. In all, about 60 visitors and officials took part in the field-day.

The forenoon session included visits to the experimental areas being controlled in the interests of facial eczema research, to the experimental piggeries and the dairy and

cattle yards. Brief addresses were given by departmental officials in the course of the forenoon’s inspections, Dr. Filmer speaking on the facial eczema research, Messrs P. XXL Smallfield and T. E. Rodda on dairy cow nutrition work and Mr A. L. Thompson on artificial insemination. A brief address on the work and aims of the department was given by the Hon. XXL Lee Martin, after lunch had been served In the farm home-

stead, further visits to other parts of the farm being made in the afternoon.