PURE SEEDS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 4 July 1921, Page 6

PURE SEEDS

A GLASS FOR INSTRUCTION. j Mr A. F, Stacey, manager for Messrs j Hodder, and Tolley, addressed; the [ Hawerabranch of the Farmers' i uion , on Saturday on the question ■ of. pug seeds. Mr. Stacey said that all .the.; regulations framed for the purpose ct.j assisting farmers to obtain the nght., seeds would not help him unless he j knew how to identify weeds in seeds. :. ' He had found, after putting a very J lar^e number of farmers to the test, . ' that not one of them could cay what j the seed of Californian thistle was like. With the object of helping farmers to detect impurities he expressed his j willingness, if a class was formed, to j give practical demonstrations. Jle^was j not doingTnis because he was looking s for increased benefits for his firm, but \ because he loved his work. He wanted ; to get down to something practical with them. It would be very helpful s to a farmer if, when he purchased , seed, he was able to distinguish the j various weeds, and there was |<> m« '■ characteristic about the seeds of all ; weeds which the experienced could recognise. He was as yet only on the , fringe of. investigation himself, but if jfchey got down to something elementary., they could work up to something that ; would Kelp them all. He was prepared i . fc> conduct a= class at any time that .- - would i suit members, and it could, be held oither: at the warehouse or at their dwn office. He w>ould suggest" that they try and form a class of from twelve to \ '' twenty members. Mr.- Stacey exhiibited a sample of seed oats, A grade. The j oats had been sold to him with the . certificate of a Government grader. On '- > ,bein<r examined the oats were found to contain such liberal quantities of Califomian thistles that, provided the seed ' .germinated, the thistles could be ex- • pected to establish themselves in any -paddock in. which, the oats were sown. Mr. Stacey referred to the large quantity of feed oats which came into Tara- ,' " naki yearly and said it was by this means, that Calif ornian thistle was chiefly .distributed. It was not so com--5 monly found in chaff "because its presence affected the appearance and the /price. ■■ Notwithstanding the Calif ornian jfchigtles contained in the oats, th« gracler-was quite within his rights in grading them A. He tested-by weight "and colour, and the only way to prevent a continuance of what was taking 1 place was for the Farmers' Union to : take it up and insist uponjproper safeguards. It took from 4d to 5d per bushel to clean all the oats that came ,tp the coast. Mr. 'Buckeridge said. that, the j' • Farmers' Union had drafted the framework of a Bill^ that would; meet the , Case. ■ ■ . *'~'.. ..„. „■ j Mr. Stacey said they might have a ' ' Helegate at "the Farmers' Union Conference from the south who was selling -• *a fev\j_ thousand busihels of oats invested with Calif ornian thistle and such \ a man may not care for any interference by the State. It was stated by Dr. vCJockayne some years ago that noxious weeds were costing the country a million a*year; They would probably be cost^ ~ ' ing nearly double that now. Continuing, Mr. Stacey said that most farmers looked to rye grass for Calif ornian thistle, yet he had never found Californian thistle in *ye grass. Then there was the question of fertilisers. That was something the average farmer/ «• knew nothing about; Over 500 samples of. soil from different parts of Taranaki had, been tested and there was not;a single case in which the test did not show the soil to be sour. From this hss'^^MVcpncluded that there was1; not an 7SrarY of soil in Taranaki that was not sour. If this was so, superphosphate on its own should be barred. It , # only put them further 6n tlie debit ■■' side. They/might rush to basic and then again the question was: "Which basi^A-,■>-,,-.-■;• •■ •; ■■ ■■• ■"' .;: ■■■'" *' Mi:f i:l^erce said that if lime was .used it would neutralise the acid. Mr. Mills said jbhey should'do 'what they could to get a class together and he would see Mr. Stacey before going; to / the Dominion conference and v obtain further information'Avhich might be of assistance in obtaining legislative • .measures on |he lines suggested. i.ult was decided to form a class and those present agreed to enrol as mcmi -bers; also to' do their'best to secure other members. It was also decided to iiold the class meetings in Mr. Buckerdge s offfte, the first meeting to be ■ . held at 2 p.m. a!fortnight from date