Hutt Compost Society

Hutt News, Volume 20, Issue 14, 4 September 1946, Page 5

Hutt Compost Society

-— tt — RECENT ACTIVITIES. Members of the branch recently staged, in the Waddington housing area, a successful and informative demonstration on preparing a compost heap. Approximately 50 people attended and showed very keen interest in the procedure, whereby the wooden bin, which was erected, was filled with the alternate layers of organic material, manure, and soil. Mr. J. Hogan, president, spoke of the value of compost as regards the natioVs health and more especially its value in improving the very poor soil in this particular area. At the last monthly branch meeting Mr. Hodson, of the Department of Agriculture, spoke on “Hormones in the Garden.” Mr. Hodson, whose very interesting talk fully covered this little known subject, explained hormones as a minute amount of chemical substance existing in plants and performing functions equivalent to those of the brain and nerves in the human body. He discussed how the various activities of the plant, such as rooting’ flowering and fruiting were controlled by the hormones, and also the commercial, possibilities of manufacturing some of these chemicals and using them to control the growth of plants in certain directions.