SEED-TESTING STATION

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23747, 19 September 1942, Page 6

SEED-TESTING STATION

PROPOSAL FOR TIMARU After hearing representations by a delegation from the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, the South Canterbury executive of the Farmers’ Union yesrerday decided to support the chamber’s efforts to secure the establishment of a seed-testing station, at Timaru.

Mr W. H. Orbell said that at present the seed-testing station at Palmerston North was unable to cope with the quantity of seeds sent there to be tested. In many cases seed had been held up for about six weeks before the results came to hand. “Up to the present there have been about 3500 samples sent in for testing from this district, and by the end of the year there will be a considerable increase in these figures. South Canterbury is at present producing more seeds than the whole of the other districts in New Zealand put together. Timaru is ideally situated for a seedtesting station.” Mr Orbell said that when farmers were being made to pay for the seedtesting service they should have some say in the handling of their seed for testing. It might mean a loss of up to Is a. pound for clover. and from Is to 3s a bushel for ryegrass, if. they happened to’ miss any' particular market. “The seed area in this district is increasing considerably, and provided there are good crons, the oresent seedtesting station will be inadequate to do all the seed testing,” said Mr Orbell. “The question of equipment for the new station will probably be raised by the Government, but it would be possible to procure supplies from England or America.

"A suggestion has been made that the seed-testing station be transferred from Palmerston North to Timaru. By the time reports had been given by the various departments we would probably find ourselves at the end of the season without any further equipment to deal with the extra quantity of seeds for the coming season.” Mr Orbell’s remarks were supported by Mr W. Baird, who said that if farmers were to miss a market through delays in seed testing, a tremendous amount of money was going to be lost. “We have been told that a seed-test-ing station may be established at Christchurch,” said Mr Baird. “We should have it at Timaru, Eventually we should also be able to set up a plant research station.”