JUNIOR RED GROSS SOCIETY

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 18, 25 September 1930, Page 12

JUNIOR RED GROSS SOCIETY

Grassland Knowledge Competition

Realising, haw necessary it is for the children, as well as the adults of New Zealand, to have a knowledge of the plants which comprise grassland upon wbich th**l country is so dependent for ! its,.chief products,, the President of tihe New; Zealand Junior Red Cross has, for many months x>ast, been considering the advisability of offering; prizes for the best collection of-..grass seeds. It was ..-necessary, however, to have, export advire on this stitbjexjt before proceeding with'the. competition. He, therefore, appToaehed Mr. A. H. Cockayne, assistant Director-General of the Department of Agriculture, for his opinion and we are pleased to say that he not only approved of the competition but -has promised to take an active iriteVest»in it by giving his valuable advie,e to. competitors. Mr Cockayne thought it advisable to change the com-, petition from tilie collection of grass seeds to a Grassland Knowledge Competition, which has been done. >. HINTS FOR GRASSLAND KNOW^ LEDGE COMPETITION. (By A. Hv; Goekiayhe). The primary objective of the President's competition is to stimbilaite amongst memlbers of the Junior Red Cross the incentive to learn all they possibly can about the plants tthat compose the grasslands of New Zealand. To many who have not given any consideration to the matter, isuch knowledge may be viewed as of no particular interest excespt to farmers. Whem one considers, however, that the (prosperity of both, town and country is inseparably linked up with the welfare of our grasslands, it .should be qoidte apparent to all that "Grassland Knowledge" has at least an utilitarian value to a:ll mem|bci is of the community. Apart; however, from the value of sue 1 -anfoi'ma'tion, it can be claimed thafthe gleaming of knowledge of what the plants are that, are found in grassland and their behaviour and halbits will prove of absorbing interest. V Now, hoiw best can one set a/bout learning something aibou't; grassland f There are indeed, three ways of approach—^to be told about it; to read about it; and to find out something aiboust- it .by using our eyes "and brains* The read idea of'the Competition is for members by observation and, as it were, questioning the.' plants. to. make them unfold the many" stories that they can tell. In other words, the eyes and brains of the members will have to be relied upon rather than upon what they may read or be told about. Now the first thing necessary, before the plants can foe".questioned is to be aible to distinguish and recognise them and as soon as they can be recognised,, the necessity foT giving them names arises. The initial competition is for tihe purpose "of enabling competitors tp be aible to distinguisdb: and re-., cognise the plants;'^For this it is necessary' to ■-~make a collection of all the different plants that can be found on pasituTes. ,So far as' the actual names: aie concerned, this need not be taken into consideration at alll Wnat they have to d<3-is to collect, press and mount, the specimens they- collect—as many different ones asthey/run possibly get .together.- When these collections arjei iito.de, flie/Socioty will make\ ■;&H; the arrangement*- for iLavin-g them named '■ ebrrectJy -ajM" tl/e eolleetlons svill then," apart' frxM^the- all-oeatif>ri of • prizesj be. returned ta?tho''coiii,petit:ors. ' lln this way each, competitor wi\l ih.ivo r. i corTo.c.tly named cdllejp'tion and shoulu j

then, be in a position to diatingoiish, recognise and address by name, as it were, any of the plants, on which further iiiforanation is desired.

The first essential is to know -the plants and it then becomes possible to intelligently observe their halbits, likes and ddsiikes, what they are good fox and what they are ba d for, ■ when tihey grow, how they grow and why they grow. •Finally, from the initial ."v step of learning wiaat the plant is the whole story of the plant and its relationship to grassland farming,, can be intelligently biidlt up. Knowledge alrong these lines is well worth while and will vastly increase members' pleasure arid interest iii what is New Zealand's greatest asset, her green and smiling grasslands. So far as the actual technique necessary in collecting, pressing and mounting •sp'eeimens, Dr H. H. Allan, of the Plant Research Station, Palmerston North, is prepardng a guide with full instructions Which will be i published in the near future. In the i meaaitime, however, it will be well for intending competitors whenever they , have an opportunity of walking over grassland, to try and_ disttinguisih differences in the plants comprising it. One will very soon discover that the plants on dry ground are very different to the plants on wet ground, that j some plants are -growing vigorously wihile others are dormant, that where cattle feed the plants are often differ--1 ent to where sheep are feeding, that some plants are eaten by stock, some I axe not, and a host of other observational features will crop up whenever you walk a-cross a paddock with your eyes open and tiie necessity to know the names of all these planits, each with an intriguing story to tell, will be forced home to you.

The President's Competition opens the way for members to learn the tta-mes of the grassland plants of NewZealand in that most deligfhtful of ways, by going to the plants tham-

»elves.

FurthSr information on collecting,, pressing and mounting will be give^ next week. '•