RUAKURA FARM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22860, 15 October 1937, Page 16

RUAKURA FARM

CENTRE FOR RESEARCH V . WIOE SCOPE OF WORK T FERTILISER EXPERIMENTS CROPS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY [by telegraph—special reporter] ': WELLINGTON, Thursday The pl&ns for.the development of research and instructional work at the Ruakura Farm of Instruction were outlined by the l Minister of" Agriculture, the Hon. W, Lee Martin, in an interview to-day. The Minister stated that it ' was intended that Ruakura should play an important part in the Government's programme of systematic agricultural research, and the farm was now equipped to carry out this work for the northern part of the North Island, just as Massey College, the Plant Research Station and the Dairy Research Institute served the southern part of the island.

The Minister said that definite Bpheres of work had already been allocated to Massey and Canterbury Agricultural Colleges, the- Cawthron Institute, the Plant Research Stations at Palmerston North and Lincoln, the Wheat Research Institute, tho Wallaceville Veterinary Laboratory, and other research laboratories. The work of all institutions was being co-ordinated by the Plant and the Animal Research Bureaux. Production of Pig Feed Mr. Lee Martin said that-Ruaknra was established • as an' experimental farm in 1901, and in its early years, when oats were an important crop in the Waikato, did valuable work in the collection and selection of rust-resist-ant .varieties. Current work at Ruakura in grain crops was confined to investigating the possibility of producing economic pig feed, and maize varieties, field peas and soya beans were at present under trial. Extensive investigations had been carried out on the introduction of suitable varieties of root and forage crops for Waikato farming and in pasture development and management. • •

Experimental work was in progress to determine the fertiliser response on different soil types, and a complete programme had been instituted by the Department of Agriculture to collect information 'regarding the use of lime and potash in' addition to phosphates on each soil type. Ruakura was also used to demonstrate the usefulness under Waikato conditions of improved strains of grasses and clovers produced by the Plant Research Station at Palmerston North. On the dairy side, it was proposed to discontinue the sale of bulls, the demand for* which was now being met by private breeders, and concentrate on one breed and the use of herds for investigational work of value to all farmers. Fat Lamb Production 1

The rapid expanse of the pig industry necessitated further investigations, and the work' in this connection at Ruakura was to be extended. The production of boats and- sows for sale would be abandoned, and the whole of the pig section of the farm would be devoted, to. nutrition experiments. The department's extension officer in pig husbandry had been given headquarters at Ruakura and would serve as the chief link between research work at Ruakura and the district pig councils all over New Zealand. In thfe near future work would be carried, out in demonstrating intensive fat lamb production in the Waikato, and a hera of Polled Angus cows haa recently been established at Rujtkura to facilitate 'investigation of the best feeding methods for the production of chilled beef. The Minister added that the activities of the Ruakura Training Farm College were to be maintained, , and in addition it was proposed to continue the short winter courses of a week or a fortnight for farmers' sons and members of the young farmers' clubs.