LIVESTOCK RESEARCH

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28792, 13 January 1959, Page 8

LIVESTOCK RESEARCH

U.S. Visitors Impressed

Livestock research at Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, was most impressive and the facilities provided at the college,were “just marvellous,” said Mr Hiram Johnson, president of the Minnesota Co-operative Woolgrowers’ Association, last evening. Mr Johnson is one of a party of 17 American farmers who are visiting Christchurch during a tour of New Zealand.

Lincoln College was doing a grand job and showed by its extensive and well-planned research programme that it fully realised the needs of the farming industry, he said.

The leader of the party, Mr Leonard'Nadasdy, said that one of the most impressive sights the party had seen yesterday, when they visited the college was the dry-land research programme at Ashley Dene. “On that very poor soil it’s really remarkable that you can get anything to grow at all. The progress in the use of alfalfalucerne—is a secret you people have really discovered. •To see a dry barren field and alongside a stand of lush, green lucerne means the college has found the right type of pasture. “In that few inches of soil on top of the shingle you are getting a good build up of fertility and getting the value of feed.”

Canterbury wheat crops were equally impressive, Mr Nadasdy said. “You’ve got a'different type of wheat, softer but with big fat grains. “The wonderful straw strength you’ve got with Arawa is interesting. We don’t have these powerful winds and the staff is a lot lighter.” 28,000 Students Comparing Lincoln College with the University of Minnesota, he said that there were 28,000 students on the campus at Minnesota but the field work at Lincoln was much more practical. There were more experiments and they were planned on a much larger scale. Wool research at Lincoln was outstanding. Minnesota did not have even one wool class and taught only sheep husbandry. It was unheard of to be able to quote wool and lamb production in terms of weight produced per acre.

“I’m sorry to see Lincoln College is dropping its beef herd,” Mr Nadasdy said. “I can’t understand how a college so diverse in its fields of research and advanced couldn’t do any more for beef raising.” The party also visited farms in the Coalgate district and were impressed with improvements brought about by extensive use of fertiliser.

Today they will visit more Canterbury farms and in the afternoon will be the guests of the captain of the U.S.S. Glacier at Lyttelton.