RYEGRASS CERTIFICATION

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 139, 8 March 1941, Page 8

RYEGRASS CERTIFICATION

(To the Editor.) Sir, —I notice in the Farming News section of "The Dominion” published today, March 4, an articlr by your contributor, “H.A.5.,” headed “Visit to a Sandon Farm—-A Ryegrass Anomaly.” The paragraph concerning ryegrass reads as follows :• — “In a discussion on grass seeding, Mr. Ellerm referred to an anomaly under the present rye. : certification sqheme. Hundreds of acres in the district could be sown in seed from a paddock certified as permanent pasture, say, 10 years ago, and the yields of these sown paddocks would certify as mother seed—yet seed of the parent paddock, perhaps 30 or 40 years old, would not be so certified. This does appear a most surprising result from regulations.” What is more surprising, is that a correspondent of a newspaper of “The Dominion’s” standing should publish a statement of this sort without first inquiring from the Department of Agriculture whether or not it is correct. In this case, the statement is certainly not correct. Under the present scheme for ryegrass certification, mother seed can be produced only from areas sown with certified pedigree seed. Seed from a paddock sown with uncertified seed or with certified seed of lower grade than pedigree must be entered after harvesting for submission to the ultra-violet ray test, when, if up to standard, will be passed as permanent pasture. This grading.' even then, refers only to the seed tested and has no relation to the paddock from which it was harvested. Even under the old system of certification, the statement published is incorrect. In view of the misleading information given in this paragraph and the complete misunderstanding it may cause, I shall be grateful if you will have these corrections published in the same page ns soon as convenient.—l am, etc., I-I. de 0. CHAMBERLAIN, Instructor in Agriculture. Palmerston North, March 4.