BLIGHTED BARLEY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1269, 26 October 1911, Page 10

BLIGHTED BARLEY.

A QUESTION IN PARLIAMENT. The Minister for Agriculture wa.s recently asked "by Mr. T. IC. Si<k v v, M.P., whether (1) he is awaro(a) that a considerable proportion sf New Zealand barley is infected with blight, (b) that in consequence tliore are large importations of Californian barley for molting purposes, and (c) that the blight in New Zealand is largely due to'the fact that the growers sow their own (in many cases hlight-infcctwl) feed, and take, too many crops in succession off the samo picee of land; (2) will ho tafco steps to bring under the notico of the farmers the conditions requisite to tlie successful cultivation of barley; and (3) will he conduct experiments with the view of producing new typfs of barley with largo blight-resisting capacity ? Replying to these fineries, the Minister says that the Department is aware of the diseases directing barlsv in New Zealand as in other countries. Holsters have found it advisable to import considerable quantities of this grain into the Dominion, and this is to some extent duo to the diseases referred to. In the Department's annual report of 1906 farmers wore urged Ki use clean seed for malting barley, and their attention will he again directed to the importance of this precaution.