BULBS FOR N.Z.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18672, 22 April 1926, Page 11

BULBS FOR N.Z.

♦ TRANSPORT EXPERIMENTS. (FROM OUR' OtrV COKBESrOKDBST.) LONDON, February 24. At the request of the British Ministry of Agriculture some tests have been made to ascertain tho best methods of transporting bulbs to New Zealand. It is tho custom for firms sending bulbs . to the Dominion to obtain a certificate from tho Ministry statng that such bulbs are in a healthy condition. On many occasions the consignments have arrived at their destination in an unsatisfactory condition and complaints havo been received by the Ministry. The High Commissioner's Department has therefore dispatched by three vessels—the Athenic, tho Maloja, and the Rotorua—a quantity of. narcissi, gladioli, and lilies. In each case a certain proportion of tho bulbs has been placed in the captain's room, where tho temperature in the tropics will lie kept at about 60 degrees by means of fans; a proportion in the specie room, where the temperature will ho unregulated; and a proportion in tho ship's vegetable chamber, where the temperature will bo comparatively cool. The lots in .each of these places have been divided into two. and one lot has been deliberately infected with bulb mite. The Department of Agriculture, Wellington, has been asked to examine these bulbs and to plant them out Immediately after the test. It is.thus hoped to obtain some valuable data on which to arrive at tho best method of transporting the bulbs across the world. The shipping companies concerned have very kindly given every assistance in carrying out the experiments.