H—29

and means of avoiding " cress taint " in pastures infested with the weed. Due to the late spring and prolonged summer drought, however, pasture growth was poor and little taint was detected, and it will be necessary to repeat the investigation in the coming season. (d) Casting Worms. —Some very promising results have been secured by transplanting casting worms into hill-country pastures in the Raetihi district, and this work is being followed up by 79 experiments of transplanting the worms into pastures in all parts of the Dominion. As it is some years before the worms begin to show appreciable activity, results from this investigation will not be available for some time to come. (4) General Experimental work is assuming an increasingly important part of the activities of officers of the Fields Division as the extra duties occasioned by war conditions commence to decrease. This is work of direct benefit to the farming community and represents a large volume of investigational work. That the cost of this is remarkably low and that its value to the farmer is often considerable are due in no small measure to the valuable co-operation received from farmers on whose farms the experiments are located. By reason of their close contact with the farming community in connection with their extension and certification work, officers of the Fields Division are enabled to carry out the work with maximum efficiency and with that all-important appreciation of the farmers' viewpoint which is often lacking in investigations of the more academic type.

Summary of Experiments laid down, discontinued, and carried on, 1st April, 1945, to 31st March, 1946

47

Type of Experiment. As at 1st April, 1945. Discontinued during Year. Laid down during Year. As at 31st March, 1946. 1. Pasture — (a) Mowing trials .. .. 14 5 9 (6) Serpentine - superphosphate observa - 1 50 29 i 42 63 tional top-dressing (c) Other observational top-dressing 19 8 4 15 (d) Strains trials 23 8 ; 15 (e) Pasture establishment 4 3 1 4 5 (/) Subterranean clover 5 2 1 4 (g) Miscellaneous pasture species 4 3 2 3 (h) Short-rotation rye-grass grazing 33 3 5 35 (i) Technique trials 4 4 (j) Miscellaneous pasture trials (haying 8 5 4 7 depleted land) 2. Cropsfa) Wheat manuring 1 3 8 6 (b) Wheat variety 1 3 7 5 (c) Oats 3 2 1 2 (d) Barley 2 : 2 5 5 ' (e) Brassicas 10 11 19 18 (/) Sugar-beet and mangels 2 2 (gr) Linen flax 6 6 6 <> (h) Onions 3 2 1 2 (i) Lucerne .. 6 2 1 4 (j) Lupins .. 3 3 ! (k) S.Y.P. vegetable trials 55 55 (I) Peas 2 2 (»i) Maize 2 10 8 (n) Other crops 3 3 3 3 3. Miscellaneousfa) Pampas-grass 2 1 4 5 (6) Ragwort control 6 4 2 (c) Other' weed control 1 4 io 7 (d) Feed flavour 17' 17 (e) Casting worms .. 79 79 Totals 268 171 f 234. ! 331