NUCLEAR RYEGRASS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22318, 1 May 1947, Page 6

NUCLEAR RYEGRASS

SHARE IN CONTRACTS GISBORNE REQUEST “In some of the dry seasons I do think that these contracts should be spread over a greater area of New Zealand than hitherto,” said the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. E. L. Cullen, on Tuesday afternoon to the deputation from the Gisborne-East Coast provincial district of the Federated Farmers of New Zealand on the question of an allocation of nuclear ryegrass seed for the district. To have different classes of the same class of seed grown in different parts of the Dominion was of value so far as the farmer’s choice was concerned. He knew from experience that some farmers preferred their seed to be grown in a particular district and others the same class of seed from another district of their choice. “1 am surprised at my friend saying that Hawke’s Bay could not produce the goods,” said Mr. Cullen. Stating the case for the deputation, Mr. S. D. Briant said there were three main reasons for the request made by Gisborne gmall seeds growers for a share in the growing of nuclear rye. The first was that Hawke's Bay could not produce the goods in quantity, secondly it spread the risk of the failure of a crop in any one district, and thirdly Gisborne was second to none in the world as a grower of perennial ryegrass according to experts in the Dominion. If seed-cleaning difficulties were encountered. seed from Gisborne could be sent to Hawke's Bay for cleaning, he said.