H.—29

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quota of butterfat. The area has proved of very great value in instruction work, and the dissemination throughout the province of the actual results achieved is having a profound influence on the methods of gum-land farming. Albany. —This area, originally established to ascertain what useful plants were suitable for gumland soils, has now but little value. The gum-land problems are not concerned so much with the introduction of any crops specially suited to the virgin soils as they are with the management of the soils themselves. Marton.—Cereal variety testing, wild-white-clover-seed production, and an elaborate series of top-dressing trials testing the comparative efficiency of very finely crushed Nauru rock phosphate and the ordinary grade of fineness, constitute the main work carried out. Ashburton.—Winter feeding of ewes on chaffed lucerne hay, and wether and lamb fattening on grazed lucerne, have been continued with remarkably effective results. Trials of seventeen new varieties of wheat for comparative yield were carried out, and it is likely that some of these will replace certain of our present standard varieties. A series of soil-fertility-increase trials have been established. This is perhaps the most important line of research that can be undertaken in the interests of Canterbury agricultural development. Gore.—Variety testing of cereals, roots, and potatoes represents the main work of the year—in the case of roots particularly from the aspects of dry-rot and club-root. It is proposed to in future devote the major portion of this area to root-crop-disease investigation. Winton. —Comparative economics of temporary, short-rotation, and permanent grass-land under varying systems is the main work undertaken. The trials at Winton are having a great effect on grass-land management in Southland, and the area is probably the most successful of all the experimental areas. The establishement there of a dairy herd would enable a better interpretation of the results to be secured. Galloway.—ln order to demonstrate the butter-fat capacity of irrigated soil in Central Otago, Galloway has been equipped as a small dairy farm, and a small herd was established during the year. It is proposed to increase this herd to from twenty-five to thirty cows during the coming season, Waimaunga.—Buildings to enable dairying to be carried out have been erected, and a herd of thirty-five cows is being transferred to the area from Moumahaki. Subsidized Farms. —The subsidized farms at Stratford and Manaia have continued to do very useful demonstration work. Co-operative Experiments. Co-operative experimental work has been mainly confined to manurial trials. These may be divided into those that are mainly of a demonstrational character, and those that are conducted on the most modern lines of field experimentation where the results can be accurately interpreted on statistical lines. The phosphate wheat trials and the comparison between very finely and ordinarily ground Nauru phosphate are of the latter class. The two seasons' work on wheat has shown that in Canterbury 1 cwt. of super increases the yield by 6 bushels per acre, or approximately 15 per cent. The finely ground Nauru rock has not on one season's work _ given any significant increase over the ordinary 80-per-cent.-fineness grinding. Accurate statistical measurement of field trials is only possible on comparatively flat uniform land, and so far as top-dressing is concerned these methods are not applicable on unploughable hill country. The fact that the major portion of the grazing-area of the North Island consists of such country has necessitated the planning of co-operative top-dressing trials on a basis hitherto not undertaken by the Department. Large areas of not less than 50 acres are being sown with manure by hand, and the results judged on a comparative basis with unmanured blocks ; the stock carried, and their condition, being factors carefully studied. Last season one such area was dealt with, but the work now has been put on a co-operative basis, farmer, manure-merchant, and Department all contributing to the cost on about an equal basis. This season about 1,500 acres will be treated on some'twentyfive farms. Winter Farm-schools. Ten farmers' schools of a week's duration each were held during the year at the following centres : Dargaville, Ruakura, Stratford, Weraroa, Masterton, Blenheim, Greymouth, Timaru, Dunedin, and Invercargill. These schools are exceedingly popular and are largely attended : at Dargaville, for instance, over two hundred farmers were present at many of the lectures. Apart from the instruction given, the gathering together of large groups of farmers, and their interchange of views is of the greatest value. Permanent Farm-school, Ruakura Farm op Instruction. Over forty students carrying out a two-year course of directed study and practical farm-work are in residence. An extra teacher, Mr. Holmes, M.Sc., B.Ag., was appointed during the year. A prospectus giving full details of the course has been issued. Boys' and Girls' Agricultural Clubs. These clubs are still conducted in the Auckland, Taranaki, Wellington - West Coast, Wairarapa,and Otago districts, and on the west coast of the South Island. Taranaki still remains the strongest centre, but an increase in the number of clubs has taken place in the Wellington - West Coast and Wairarapa districts.