CERTIFICATION OF RYE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 29 November 1938, Page 9

CERTIFICATION OF RYE

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OVER 4000 ACRES IN HAWKES BAY j LARGEST SINGLE ENTRY AREA OF 190 ACRES During the coming season a larger area of ryegrass in Hawkes Bay will be harvested for the production of certified seed i than has been the case for some years. The date for the receipt of entries actually closed on Wednesday last, and the last-minute rush of entries brought the total up to the 4000-acre mark, compared with 3400 last season. Late entries will be received during the coming fortnight, and are expected to still further augment this total (states the “Telegraph”). There are several interesting features about the entries which have I been received this season, one being a marked advance in the area owned 1 jby Maoris which will this year be harvested for seed. The Mangateretere and Twyford districts have shown good increases over recent years, while one farmer in the Otane district has entered no less an area than 190 acres for certification This is the argest single entry which has been received, and is probably the largest area owned by one farmer ever to have been closed for the production of certified rvegrass in New Zealand. Actually up to Wednesday night 468 paddocks aggregating just on 4000 acres, had been entered for certification. Few entries so far. however, have been received from the Wairoa or southern ends of the district and a number of late entries from these sources is expected. Cue farmer alone is expected to enter over 60 acres, and

this, with other entries, will advance the total area considerably. PEDIGREE SEED Another feature of the entries received this year is the growing popularity of pedigree ryegrass, introduced tc- Hawkes Bay two seasons ago. The returns which have been obtained from tliis advanced strain of ryegrass, evolved by the Plant Research Station of the Department of Agriculture at Palmerston North, largely from Hawkes Bay strains of rye, have been phenomenal, both from the viewpoint of leaf production and carrying capacity, and also the quality of the seed obtained at harvest time. Last year there was a demand for this stock seed which could not be met by the supplies available, and the increased acreage which was sown is now reflected in the entries which have been received for certification this season. Seed from Pedigree rye which was sown Mother seed, providing the paddock inspection is satisfactory, a factor which will mean a considerably increased return to the farmer concerned. The importance of sowing rye, even of the highest quality, at the right time of the season, especially if intended for harvesting the following year, has been reflected >n the condition of some of the paddocks which were sown down with Government stock seed late last autumn. The paddocks which were sown at the right time have come away

extremely well and promise to give ex- j cellent returns. Those which were ' sown late, however, have been disap- j pointing. LAST YEAR S SHORTAGE Last year a marked shortage of certified ryegrass seed was experienced in Hawkes Bay and elsewhere in New Zealand, a state of affairs which was aggravated by the floods >f April and the demand for quantities of seed for re-sowing purposes; in fact, it was quite impossible to fill orders in Hawkes Bay from seed held in this province, and quantities had to be obtanied from the South Island. With the increased acreage under harvest in Hawkes Bay this season, the supplies available in the Autumn should be greater. At the present time, of couise, it is too early to gain any indication of the yields which may be expected this year. On the experience of recent seasons, however, there appears to be little chance that supplies will be excessive; in fact, there is every possibility of a keen demand being in evidence, with satisfactory prices to the producers. Last season the price of ryegrass of good quality generally ranged from 14s to 16s a bushel, which price offered good remuneration to the farmer, even after taking into consideration the in- | creased costs associated with the harvesting operations. GOVERNMENT STOCK SEED In regard to Government stock, if may be pointed out that the relatively small quantity of seed it is possible to produce still remains the limiting factor in the development of the use of seeds of specially selected strains. The ' inquiries received during 1938 for cer- ' tified Government stock seeds far ex- ' ceeded the quantity of seed produced.

Ot perennial ryegrass 1035 bushels, and of Montgomery red clover 3661 b, were available to meet the demand, but of white clover no seed whatever was forthcoming. Contracts have been arranged for further areas of all these seeds, while the inclusion of an area of Italian ryegrass to this list is a further step towards the improvement in type of New Zealand pasture plants. A feature of the 1937-38 programme was the inclusion, for the first time, of certified "pedigree” seed, the produce of areas sown out with certified Gov- I ernment stock seed. More than 5000 . bushels of seed qualified in this class, while increases were shown in each ol |

1 1 the other grades of perennial ryegrass ‘'seed. In all New Zealand 190.000 f bushels of seed were finally sealed and s tagged as of certification standard. ; Nearly half this quantity received reI* I cognition as certified “commercial.” an ■ i indication of the value of this class in i ! extending the range of certification ) without in any wav lowering the f j quality. NORTH ISLAND LAMBING - J The total number ol breeding ewes ■ l in the North Island, according to the • | 1938 returns, is 10.735.829. The num- . | ber of lambs which have been borrf**is j estimated at 8.600.625.