CAWTHRON INSTITUTE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 9 August 1928, Page 9

CAWTHRON INSTITUTE

ITEM'S WQRK REVIEWm

BY CHAIRMAN OIF BOARD

In accordance with the usual custom, the chairman of the Cavvthron Trust Board (Mi 1 F. G. Gibbs), before introducing Sir John Russell to the audience at the School of Mrisic last evening, to deliver the annual Cawthron lecture, gave a review of the work accomplished at the Institute during the year. Mr Gibbs first of all referred with regret to. the loss sustained by the resignation of Dr. Tillyard, who had accepted an important post in Australia. Dr. David Millar has been appointed chief entomologist in succession to Dr. lillyavd, and the chairman had no doubt that the high standard of work achieved in the past would be maintained by the entomology department of the institute. While making these changes the trustees recognised the services of Miss Curtis, (ho mycologist, by raising her department to a separate one. One of the most important features of the Institute has been the remarkable expansion in the scope of its work, made possible by generous monetary grants from the Empire Marketing Board, the New Zealand Government and various other bodies; Without this assistance it would have been hard to have undertaken additional research work. The expansion of the work must depend upon the expansion of funds. Mr Gibbs went on to enumerate new lines of research being undertaken by the Institute. The task of controlling, noxious; weeds had. fully; materialised,: and the department ‘ hadj entered upon a, career, which it was trusted would be. of great benefit'to the Dominion. With I 'the co-opeiftion of the Forestry Department, a forestry entomologist, Mr Clarke, had been attached to the Institute, and would carry out investigations into noxious insect pests which attacked trees. The New Zea-; land' Fruitgrowers Federation had made a grant enabling Miss Lysaght to be appointed to the entomologist department to investigate orchard pests. On the agriculture side there had been very considerable expansion, financed by the Empire Marketing Board and the New Zealand Government. The mineral content of pastures; was being conducted by Mr Rigg, who had made a special study of the subject. He was collaborating with Mr Aston (chief expert of the Agricultural Department) whose work in this connection had earned him worldwide fame. ,ln connection with this work the Board; had' appointed an analytical chemist, Dr. Askew. The Buller County Council an the Westport Borough Council and the Government had •furnished funds to investigate the problems of the waste pakihi soils, and the experiments already promised successful results. The old lines of investigation carried out in previous years bad been maintained with no less energy than before. Dr.‘ Curtis was continuing her investigations of brown rot; and great strides had been made towards coping with fungus diseases in hops, tobacco, tomatoes and some cereals. The soil survey, cool storage of fruit, and manure experiments were being gone on with, also the introduction of parasites to cope with earwig, oak scale and blue bottle; while many other lines of investigation were being' nushed on with. It might be thought that the Institute had undertaken quite enough problems; but the Institute w r as keen to see expansion in the host of problems constantly being brought beforeHt- by. those in the fruit industry. An endeavour was being made to secure the -establishment of a research station attached to the Institute, equipped and staffed, in a manner to cope with the multifarious problems lie had indicated. It was hoped that the chairman at the next annual lecture would be able to report very considerable expansion in this direction. It would be seen that the Institute had certainly not stood still, but was steadily increasing the scope of its work. For this the trustees were indebted in no small measure to the farsightedness and sagacity ' of Professor Easterfield. (Applause.) Appreciative reference was made to the enthusiasm and ability of the staff of the Institute, arid thanks were expressed to Miss Marsden who had added to the many bequests associated with the name of the Marsden family by a valuable collection of books and works of art. (Applause.)