BOARD OF AGRICULTURE

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 September 1927, Page 12

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE

WOOL INVESTIGATIONS. The Board of Agriculture met in Wellington recently, the . following matters, among others, being included in the agenda paper: — The Board gave careful consideration to a memorandum outlining certain phases of wool research prepared by the Department for transmission to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The memorandum emphasised, the necessity for research on the structure and development of wool fibres as an essential preliminary to form the foundation on which applied researches leading to really definite instruction should be based. The Board agreed that such preliminary research was extremely important, but certain members were of opinion that our present knowledge was sufficient on which to base instruction outlining the practices necessary of adoption to improve our lower quality wools. The feeling was held that the full study of structure development and structure variation in wool would, when completed, be of the utmost value, but that its completion was necessarily a matter of considerable time and that apart from definite scientific work it was essential to make sheep farmers better acquainted with wool matters generally. Therefore, the Board, although fully agreeing to the necessity for sustained scientific endeavour with regard to wool, was anxious to see further instruction carried out on the knowledge that had been gained by the Departmental officers and others during the past few years. It was resolved to recommend that the Department should meanwhile continue its instructional work on the best lines in the light of existing knowledge, and to ask Dr. Reakes, when in Great Britain, to obtain as much information as possible from Professor Barker, of Leeds, and Dr. Crew, of the Animal Research Station at Edinburgh, and to make enquiries as to the possibility of securing a suitable man to assist in the work of investigation and instruction in New Zealand.

FARM ECONOMICS. Mr E. J. Fawcett, M.A. (Camb), who is in charge of the Farm Economics Branch of the Fields Division, outlined the progress that was being made in the colection and tabulation of data pertaining to production and costs. He intimated that in regard to sheep, the Department had been able to secure a large amount of valuable information from professionally kept accounts in respect of the pure hill country sheep-grazing district situated in Cook, Waikohu, Uawa, and Matakoa Counties, and the data was in the course of tabulation. ~ . In regard to dairying, he said that one group of 35 farms situated in the Piako county had been completely surveyed and data pertaining* to the 1926-27 season collected. This was also in process of being tabulated, and it was expected that the results would be ready for publication at an early date. A similar survey was being conducted in regard to one group of farms in Raglan county, and arrangements had been made to survey another three groups in the Waikato during the next three months. Continning?, Mr Fawcett said that the financial position of 35 Taranaki farms for periods of from three to five years, had been collected from accountants records, and that this, information was being supplemented by production figures from factories prior to tabulation. In addition to the foregoing the production figures for some 2,000 Taranaki farms for the 1925-26 season had been collected and awaited tabulation, a work of considerable magnitude. The President indicated that the data collected was considered bv the Board to be most valuable, and a resolution was passed expressing appreciation of Mr Fawcetts woik.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY. The Director-General of Agriculture announced that if had been decided to establish an animal husbandry section of the livestock division, which section would be under the control of Mr J. McS. McLinden, M.R.C.V.S. FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. The Department reported that information had been received from the High Commissioner that further outbreaks of foot and mouth disease had occurred in England. Dr. Reakes stated, in the light of this information, that it seemed likely that sporadic outbreaks would continue to occur, and as the necessity for introducing fresh blood was becoming somewhat urgent in the case of some-breeds, it would seem that consideration would require to be given to the question of permitting importation to take place under such a system as would eliminofo. as far as practicable, the possibility of the disease reaching New Zealand. The authorties in England were anxious to re-establish their export business and to this end were establishing quarantine stations for stock for export. Sir James Wilson stated that the Southdown breeders had expressed a wish to import rams and had enquired whether the present regulations could be relaxed. Australia was permitting the importation of stock through Scotland, but at a recent meeting of the stock owners in Victoria, Colonel Cady had stated that the cost was prohibitive and unless English ports were opened, few, if any, importations would take place. It was agreed that the whole question should be gone into by Rr. Reakes upon his arrival in Great Britain, and he was requested to cable his views on the subject as soon as practicable.

PLANT BREEDING & RESEARCH. It was decided to recommend that additional facilities for the development of the plant breeding and plant disease research work of the Department of Agriculture should be provided forthwith, and that such work should be carried out under the control of the Department in the meantime.