N.Z. HAS BIG CHANCE IN SEED PRODUCTION

Horowhenua Chronicle, 17 June 1929, Page 2

N.Z. HAS BIG CHANCE IN SEED PRODUCTION

£1,000,000 a Year BIGHT STRAINS WOULD WIN ENGLISH MARKET PLEASANT PROSPECTS. That New Zealand Has a wonderful opportunity of capturing and holding the British grass and clover seed markets .valued .at £1,000,000 annually, is the opinion of Mr. Win. Davies of the Aberystwyth Plant-breeding station, who is at present attached to the Palmerston North Plant Research station. Mr. Davies recently made reference lo this matter in a lecture broadcasted from Wellington by radio for the .special information of farmers. s During the course of his talk, Mr. Davies pointed out that at the present time, a largo sum of money was sent into foreign countries for grass and clover seeds, while within the Empire there were unequalled facilities foi producing all the annual Imperial requirements. The British Isles and New Zealand were the biggest conMiincrs of pasture seeds. Great Britain spent £3,000,000 each year and ,Ncw Zealand half that amount but while Ntw Zealand produced all it required, and exported a small surplus, Great Britain brought in about one-third of her annual requirements and a large proportion of the imports consisted of the expensive clovers. Mr Davies contended that New Zealand should bid tor that trade, which involved £.1,000,000, which at present went to foreign lands. While New Zealand in a haphazard way at the present time did attempt to export to England certain quantities of red and white clovers, dogstail, chewings fescue and a small amount of cocksfoot, there was need for a systematic attempt to capture and hold the market. Home Needs.

It) regard to grass .seeds, Britain needed a_ good stunple, the right .strain and .a reasonable and stable price. From research work, one knew that wide variation existed within any given species of grass or clover. Professor Stapleton had .shown conclusively that certain types within each species could be fixed as being specially suited as pasture plants. They had longer life and produced highly nutritious feed and more of it than other typos. In New Zealand it had been revealed for instance that rye from seed taken front certain North Island pastures lasted longer than the rye from South Island, so much so, that the South Island as a major seed producer, would have to over-haul its ryegrass strains and produce a typo more suitable for permanent pastures.

' From tests in the Old Country, certain' things were known about Now Zealand seeds. Firstly, they knew they could get a splendid looking sample of high germination and purity but also that the bulk of the rye was not of the strain England was looking for. In the ease of cocksfoot, they knew the Akaroa type lasted better than the Danish but they had not the supplies that they would havb liked.

' I** In clover lay New Zealand’s biggest immediate hope in, the production of seed to supply the Home markets. There was a big demand for seed of the true Montgomery and true Cornish marl strains of red clover and New Zealand should take steps to supply that demand. In this country ' there were natural resources for producing excellent samples of clover seed.

In regard to white clover experience at Homo had shown that there was no standarisation of New Zealand white. There was undoubtedly an excellent type of old pasture white clover in New Zealand but there was also a considerable quantity of a type not suitable to English conditions and for export purposes, this wrong typo would have to be eliminated. If a sound Imperial seed trade was to be built up between New Zealand and Great Britain, then strain must come to the forefront and be the basis of seed production.

Pedigree seed growing would have to become a habit just, as much as pedigree live-stock breeding.

Mr. Davies said he would put strain I'ivt. Then must come standarisation. Ihe grower must have the certainty that he was buying the right article and assurance that he is getting the strain he is paying for. There was a splendid example of .standarisation in Mew Zealand butter and the aim of the grass seed producer should be the same. New Zealand could easily produce a high quality seed —one could not imagine a better climate for highclass seed production coupled with heavy crops as that to be found in parts of Central Otago. Price Also Counts. Mr. Davies also mentioned the matter of price, stating that there was no bigger deterrent to the development of high grade pastoral land in Britain at the present time than the high cost of special strains of seed, notably the clovers. The important Kentish wild white clover was totally prohibitive at 10s to 15s per lb. What was wanted was Kentish or its New Zealand equivalent at 2s per, lb. and if New Zealand put its mind to the business, the day was not far distant when good New Zealand grown white clover would be bought on the English market at a reasonable price. The same applied to other seeds.

Summing up, Bn tail, was not getting r hc strains she wanted and being a heavy buyer, it was up to Now Zealand to capture and hold the English .market. .To do this .on a sound basis, primary consideration must be given to strain, to reliability of supplies and to correctness to label. Finally . there must be a stamlarisution of prices.. riant breeding stations will soon have

fi\Of] the best pasture types but in the meantime a beginning could be made with Akaroa cocksfoot, old pasture white clover and the British* strains of Montgomery and Cornish marl red clover.