POTATO FIELD DAY

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30093, 29 March 1963, Page 13

POTATO FIELD DAY

Seed Production Emphasised More than 2000 growers from all main potato-produc-ing districts in New Zealand attended a field day at Annat yesterday. The field day was sponsored by the Potato Board and organised by the Malvern Potato Growers’ Association, and -dealt mainly with certified seed potato production. The Malvern district is one of the main areas producing seed potatoes.

There was a big contingent of North Island growers from as far north as Pukekohe, and quite a number came from Otago and Southland.

Demonstration plots showed the differences in yield from variations of fertiliser treatment, spacing of planted tubers, and times of defoliation, and the effects of these on the ratio of seed to table potatoes.

Harvesting machinery of new design, both imported and locally built, was demonstrated under working conditions, and there was a big display by trade firms of chemicals and services. Two new aspects in the trade section were displays of multiwall paper bags with a high “wet strength’’ by New Zealand Forest Products, and the Railways Department had a well-patronised tent which featured the Aramoana and potato shipments. The chairman of the Potato Board (Mr W. M. Williams) opened the field day, which was atended by nearly all the board’s members, and growers were welcomed by the chairman of the Malvern association (Mr M. King), who in his speech called for a “general stirring up’’ in the industry of growers and merchants alike. Growers needed to become more aware of the changes and requirements of the industry, and the merchants needed to make bigger efforts to sell New Zealand potafoe., overseas, he said. The field day was held on the property of Mr G. E. Wright and was organised by a committee of the growers’ association, representatives of the North Canterbury Grain, Seed, and Produce Merchants’ Association, and the Potato Board’s executive officer (Mr M. P. H. Rousham).