GOVERNOR AT ROTARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 110, 12 May 1930, Page 10

GOVERNOR AT ROTARY.

ENTHUSIASTIC WELCOME. HIS EXCELLENCY'S ADDRESS. "THE CRASS THAT GROWS." To-day was Vice-Regal day at the weekly "lunch meeting of the Auckland Rotary Club there being a particularly full muster of members and visitors to welcome his Excellency the Governor, Lord Bledisloe, on his first visit to the club. -. , His Excellency, who received an enthusiastic welcome, was formally ntroduccd by the club Rotarian Stan Reid, who stated, that New Zealand had been f ovinia en ha Governors, and owed a good deal to these gentlemen who left their homeland and broke family and friendship ties to serve the Empire'in this distant outpost. As this Dominion was first and foremost an agricultural country the choice of Lord Bledisloe as Governor-General was particularly appropriate. While welcoming Lord and Bledisloe he assured his Excellency that Rotarians would be willing to help in any movement for the community s welfare which their Excellencies might initiate. n Choosing as his subject, The -Urass That Grows Under Our Feet," his Excellency mentioned that of 42 occupations represented in the club that of the farmer, curiously enough, was not included. The bulk of New- Zealand's' output, said Lord Bledisloe, was directly dependent upon the grass that grew under our feet. It had been said that without vision a nation would perish. In the case of New Zealand he might add "and grass." Vision and grass were both essential.

The scientific production and maintenance of grass must be stimulated. At the same ,time modern science had disclosed the fact that through allowing grass to grow too long two-thirds of the value had for centuries been lost. The maximum nutriment was obtained from grass that -was not more than four inches in height. At no more than four inches grass was equivalent in value to the best of cattle cakes. He thought that when the time came that grass of this length was preserved in cubes 0? in other forms for winter feed then the profits of the cattle cake manufacturers might diminish

From her grass lands the Dominion it jirescnt received about £55,000,000. He was confident that without adding to the acreage the figures could quite easily be more than doubled.

The sour grass lands of New Zealand, irrespective of tussock and other country, represented more than 17,000,000 acres. These were capable of considerable improvement in ' the , herbage. When fertilisers were used it was important they should not be used to increase the growth of weeds or of inferior grasses which contained little or no nutriment. In this connection his Excellency quoted sweet scented vernal as a weed which gave the aroma to new mown hay but had naturally no food value.

"Be sure," he urged, "that your grasses and clovers arc of a permanent character."

Unfortunately by a process of evolution and the demands of seedsmen seeds had been selected that would produce large, quantities of seeds without sufficient regard to the quality of the plant itself. The leaf, it must be remembered, was the valuable part of herbage, and nitrogenous fertilisers used to develop the leaf should not be wasted on long spjndly seed shoots. '

These remarks applied particularly to ryegrass. Considerable quantities of ryegrass had been sold as perennial, which were really in the nature of Italian ryegrass. His experience in New Zealand was limited, but he Avas satisfied that in England, where considerable adulteration had taken place, the present output of existing holidays might easily be quadrupled. This opened up a vista amongst many concerned in export trade as to how the output would get on in the face of serious competition from other countries. One thing overlooked during the last 50 years in the Old Country was that grass was a crop which must be cultivated if it was to give its best .results. His Excellency mentioned that on certain lands a minute dose of iodine Avas wonderfully beneficial to cattle.

Grass-fed animals Avcre the best flavoured in the Avorkl. This Avas AA-hy Welsh mutton, Canterbury lamb, New Zealand honey, and Scottish beef held such high reputations.

Only one plant, namely lucerne, compared with grass, and on suitable land it ■was most valuable.

After making a commendatory reference to the research work being carried out by. the Cawthron Institute, his Excellency concluded with an expression of hope 'that his' address might have the effect of increasing a sympathetic interest in New Zealand's greatest asset —"her grass lands." Sir Geo. Fowlds, in expressing the appreciation of members for his Excellency's address, referred to the profound' interest Lord Bledisloe took in agricultural matters.