CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17428, 12 April 1922, Page 11

CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

MEETING Or BOABD. A meeting of the Board of Governors <»| Canterbury Agricultural College wasiW at the College jartj, Pi«tJ»™ H. A. Knight (chairman), R. W. Lochhead, John Deans, Thos. Blackley, the Hon. v. Buddo, and Dr. Chilton. , Sir W. T. Ritchie forwarded an for absence, and an application for tniee months' leave of absence, as he iat « going for a short trip to Canada. a" Bord granted Mr Ritchie's request for J*avej of absence. f [ Mr Purdie's resignation of the position 01 lecturer on chemistry, etc., tendered at las* meeting, was accepted with much regret by the Board, who tendered their Bympatny x° ! Mt Purdib in his illness. ] The chairman reported having arrange" with Mr M. J. Scott to take over Mr Purdie'a work, M the latter could not carry on I any longer. Mr Scott was an ex-member ot the N.Z.E.F., joining up from Canterbury College where he had obtained the first section of his B.Sc. While in England ho went to Cambridge University, and obtained his B.A. (Agric.) Diploma in Soil Science, and was granted an A.I.C. (Associate Institute of Chemistry), afterwards spending five months at the Rothamstend Experimental Station. . .• The action of the chairman in appointing Mr Scott was approved. The director reported that no reply "" been received from Dr. Reakea. DirectorGeneral of Agriculture, to the Boards resolution protesting against the withdrawal 01 the subsidy paid to the Board on the seea selection work carried on at the College, and which had proved bo satisfactory, and 01 such great benefit to Canterbury wheatgrowers. A request frcm the secretary of the Magazine Committee for a subsidy to enable the coiumitteo to continue publishing the Magazine, was sympathetically received, and the Board agreed -io make a grant of £2O.

FABM BEPOBT. The weather daring the past three months has been quite seasonable. Unfortunately tho very dry November and December left the ground in a very dry state, and the rain in early Jumiary ca'nie too late to he of any benefit to oereais, with the result that yields are very disappointing, after the extraordinary promise in the early spring. The grass paddocks, although dried up at the beginning of the year, nave never been very bore. The early growth which had not been eaten off, protected the paddocks", and subsequent rains stimulated growth so that the stock liave been fairly well off the whole season, except on one or two paddocks. The College graaß lands were not atatcked by rust, which is very prevalent in otter parts of the district this season. Eape, especially at later sowing, has done exceptionally well this season, and has been wry 'ree from blight. Turnips are also a (fcod orop, the moist, cool weather in* March helping their growth, and keeping down tho Diamondbacked moth. Mangolds are also good. Potatoes suffered from the dry weather at NewYear, but the January rains started a new growth, which will increase the yield, but not the quality.

Autumn Sown Feed—Oats, Capo Barley, and Italian Ryegrass—has all struck well, and promises plenty of ■ fodder. "With the exception of a couple of days in January, tho weather for harvest was ideal, and the work was got through without any interruptions. Yields are not satisfactory considering the bulk 0; straw handled, The promise of wheat and the straw was better than anything of late years, but the average return, 48 bushels, was disappointing, especially as 10 per cent, was seconds: Late sown oats were also poor. Some of the earlier oats threshed out well, with yields of 50 and 70 bushels for Gartens, and 60 to over 86 one on» 6mall plot, for. Algerians. Later sown Algerians only produoed 2f7 to 30 bushels, barley 43. peas 25, vetches .80, and grass seed 30 and 40 bushels. All the wheat has been soW at fixed at 7s "Gd, vefches af 16s, and grass seed at 2s 6d. Barley is praotieally unsaleable. Stock have all done well, although lambs at New Yett were showing the effects-Of the dry weather,' and were not aB good as usual when weaned in the middle of January, buti, they did exceptionally well on the tape, and every lamb Was off tho place by the etfd of March. The total of just on a 1000 averaged 371b, and Jletted 22s 2d each, while 3SO old ewes averaged I6s' not. The sales for stud aad flock rams were in keeping with the general experience. Longwools /were hard to sell,' but Downs sold at remunerative prioeev We have succeeded in disposing of all the breeds excepting Romneys. - The 214 flock rams averaged just over £i each net, and 17 stud rams £l7 .each net.

The cropping scheme will be somewhat the same' as last year. Subject to revision, the following is the intended areas of cereals: —Wheat, 120 acres; oats, 140 acre*; hailey, a snjall area; peas, 20 acres; oats and vetches, 40 acres; ottts for green feed, 80 acres; Italian, ryegrass, 40 acres. There will also be sown the Usual areas of zaps, kale, turnips, etc. • The report wa* adopted.

Judgment .was delivered in the Supreme, Court 'at Wellington yesterday by the Chief Justice in the case brought at Nelson by members of the New: Zealand Church Missionary Society against the Society's Trust Board, on allegations that. certain action had been taken subversive of the Society as originally coflstftuted, and that tfle Trust Board had improperly disposed of all or most of the assets of the Society, other than certain investments, and, 'in particular, all collecting boxes used by' the Society.* The Chief Justice said ho held that it was not established that the Society had lost all its power of Initiative in missionary work, and that the sale of the appliances aha the furniture was valid. ''Unless there is soma arranginent to th* contrary," he saldj J "the action must be dismissed, with cost, according to scale aa if £SOO were i claimed.'-