STUDY OF GRASSLANDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22620, 7 January 1937, Page 14

STUDY OF GRASSLANDS

NEW ZEALAND METHODS VISITING SCIENTIST'S PRAISE "Grassland investigations in some phases have developed ;11 New Zealand probably better than in any other country in the world," said Professor J. K. Murray, principal of the Queensland Agricultural College, when commenting in Christchurch recently. Pro- j fessor Murray is visiting the Dominion ( to obtain information on New Zealand methods of grassland improvement for j the Queensland Government. "It is probably true," lie said, "that S intensive grazing by sheep and the | building up of the climax type of pas- | ture for fat lamb raising are particu- j larly well done in New Zealand." Dur- 1 ing liis visit to the North Island he j was mainly interested in the carrying j capacity of areas in the districts around : Palmerston North, Feilding, and Mar- j ton. The farms here, he considered, were unsurpassed anywhere, although it j was possible that the irrigation areas j would do better. Information on methods which were j successful in New Zealand was not ex- ! pected to bo of such service in Queens- j land as in Victoria and Tasmania, said ; Professor Murray, because the climate j of Queensland was mainly tropical and I sub-tropical. But the methods of in- 1 vestigating grassland improvement were expected to be of decided service. Queensland was the most important i cattle State in Australia, carrying 50 ! per cent of the total cattle of the Com- j monwealth, and after New South j Wales the largest sheep State. Grass- i land investigations were, therefore, of immense importance, and the work done I in New Zealand might save a considerable amount of basic investigation in Queensland.