FARM MANAGEMENT

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22198, 15 September 1937, Page 13

FARM MANAGEMENT

LINCOLN COLLEGE COURSE The Board of Governors of Canterbury Agricultural College decided at yesterday’s meeting to extend the course at Lincoln College to include a supplementary course on farm management. The director (Professor Hudson) said the staffing at present did not provide for Instruction on the actual business side of farming. There were many phases of this in which a supplementary course would be a great help to young men taking up farming on their own account. The facilities at Lincoln

College for such a course were most favourable, as it was the centre Of all aspects of primary production. The proposal that had been discussed in Wellington, and for the adoption or which the authorities were keen, would provide for instruction on the economics of farming—i.e., farm management, field husbandry, animal husbandry, farm book-keeping, an agricultural course, and agricultural law. Some of these subjects came within the scope of the present instructional staff, but at least one vacant position on the staff would have to be filled, and an outside lecturer secured for one other. ] Dr Hilgendorf and Dr. Denham said that the step was the most forward the college had taken for years. The college had the nucleus at present of an organisation to undertake the instruction. .. . . . In the matter of finance it was stated that the financial assistance to the college proposed by the Government would meet the position on that side. A NEW GATEWAY LEWIS PASS ROAD Some years ago it was estimated that about 60,000 sheep were "travelled" down each year from Marlborough and Nelson to Canterbury, and it is fairly certain that considerably more than 2000 store cattle come down each year. The railway will remove the need for sheep travelling, but the cattle are gathered up from such a wide area that the "long paddock may still be used for their transport. A reason for this is the new outlet provided by the Lewis Pass road. The Addington market is practically denied to store cattle raisers from the northern part of the West Coast and Nelson on account of the long journey and the other disabilities associated with travelling on a congested highway, and the areas mentioned will be more conveniently tapped by the new route. This is the opinion of a Murchison man to whom the writer spoke last week. The probability is of interest to North Canterbury graziers on account of the opportunity It presents for securing store stock. The advantage of the new route is that the distance will be much shorter, there will be better feed available, and the bustle of travelling cars on the highway will be largely absent. In average seasons cattle in store condition should pick up on the road

LIFE OF GORSE SEED

A STRIKING EXAMPLE Mr K. M. D. Morten, of Ahuriri, Tai Tapu, recently showed a representative of “The Press" a striking example of the longevity of gorse seeds. Sixty years ago a gorse hedge was removed, so that a drain could be constructed. While gorse plants appeared for a few years after, from seeds remaining in the soil, these were never allowed to flower or seed, and altogether the old fence line has been entirely free of plants for at least 50 years. Two years ago when levelling the paddock for lucerne, a grader was introduced, and it scraped o ft part of the old creek bank. Since then some thousands of gorse seedlings have appeared each year. The necessity for grubbing has shown that seed of 50 or 60 years of age is just as virile as that of more recent origin-