YESTERDAY AFTERNOON'S SITTING.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 17, 20 July 1905, Page 2

YESTERDAY AFTERNOON'S SITTING.

The Conference resumed its sitting at 2.30 o'clock yesterday afternoon under the chairmanship of Mr. J. G. Wilson. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr. Glass (Westlund) : "That the Agricultural Department be urged to do more to instruct' settlers in the latest methods of cheese and butter making." Tho President read an exhaustive paper on "Glasses, Fodder Plants, and the Improvement of Pastures." The paper, which speaksrs declared to be valuable, contained many of Mr. Wilson's observations as 'a pastoralist. He expre&scd the hope that the Department would inalw nn investigation into the damage that was being done to pastures along the West Coast. It wwats t decided that the paper be published. During the conr&e of a lengthy discussion which followed tho reading of the paper, great diversity of opinion regarding the best grasses was evident. It was agreed that it was necessary for pastoralists to test their pasture lands in order to find out the most suitable grasses for their runs. Some speakers believed in putting in many grasses. Mr. Ritchie (Secretary of tho Department) fcaid ho was pleastd to se& that the Lands Commission had advocated the grassing of Crown lands. He had been urging this upon the Government for,years, and ho believed that if this suggestion w?te carried out, and' the limitation of stock■ing coupled with it, great good' to the State And to tenants would ultimately result. He also believed in judicious manuring on high grazing lands, paiticu- | larly in the dairy country along, the West | Coast and Taranaki. Otherwise dairy farmers would not be able to ktep their glasses going. ' ; , ( Mr. Bhch (Marton) moved: "That the ;, Agricultural Department be requested to | -arrange for the delivery of lectures on veterinary subjects to fanners in such centres as the Department may be ie■quested to, provided that the body fo requesting the lecture guarantee a sufficient attendance, and the Department allow such body to charge a small fee <^ cowr expenses." Mr. Gilruth said there hud br>en much discouragement in tho attendance at the lectures given in the p^sb. The young men did not attend— they wcie to ba found upon the racecouiss, rather than in the halls of learning. Nothing would .secure the desired 'object but a course of lectures which men wou'd r.ttc-nd iis 'students and not as cann.il listeners. Mr. Co'.eman (Nelson) snid he could assure a big clas.6 attending lectures in his district; and Mr. Hendeison (Eliesmere) s=aid classes formed in his district had fallen through because of lack of interest. Mr. Smith (Pahiatua) said there was only one veterinary suigeon in the district between Wellington nnd Hawkes Bay. Tho motion was adopted. Mr. R. D. D. M'Lean (Hawkes Bay; moved in tin direction of getting the Agricultural Department to experiment with more drought-resisting grasses -md fodder p'.nnls. A considerable aieu c.i

land should be set aside for tho purpose of testing grasses fiom Australia and other countries, excepting Knglhnd, os English grass.es had been already hie'! and found wanting in Hawkes Bay, where there were seasons of dry weather. He thought it was ieinarkab"e that New Zealand had never tried extensive experiments with . Australian grasses, which were evidently far more ppnnanent than the English grasses. Mr. M'Farlaue thought tho Government, when establishing experimeul.il stations, should test giass.s6, and he would Miggest that the Australian saltbiish .should be tested. Mr. Clifton (Chief .Stock Inspector) said he had tested the s.j!tbu?_ on experimental plots in the Waikato, and tho plants, which were of the fodder class, were growing satisfactorily. The motion was curried. A committee, consisting of Messrs. Rutherford, Wheeler, M-Lureu, M'Farlane, Pattullo, and Overtoil, was set up to bring befoie the Agricultural Department the request of the Conference for the establishing of experimental stations. At 5.15 o'clock the delegates visited Government House, and partook of afternoon tea. v.ith the Governor and Lady Plunket. The Conference adjourned until 10 o'clock this morning.