VIEWS OF EXPERTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 14

VIEWS OF EXPERTS.

OTAGO SPECIALLY SUITABLE. The question of raisins: and saving seeds in Otago has been revived as the result of a report which Mr J. Loudon submitted to a meeting of the Otago District Repatriation Board. The subject is by no means, a new one as far as this part of the Dominion is concerned, the Otago Education - Board, under Mr E. S. Green (Ohief Agricultural Instructor), and the Dunedin City Council, under Mr D. Tannoclc (superintendent of city reserves), having had the matter in hand for somo time, and having given the scheme a practical test. It has been recognised that there is no country in the world where seeds can be grown to such perfection as they can in New Zealand, the suitability of the climate for maturing and ripening the seeds being the principal factor, lhafc a large trade will one day be built up in raising seeds for export is the fond hope of those who are interesting themselves in this movement. On Monday a Daily Times reporter waited on _ Messrs Tannock and Green, and elicited their views on the subject. Mr Tannock said there was absolutely no doubt as to the feasibility of being able to produce high-grade seeds in Otago, and especially in Central Otago. Seeds here had been grown on only a small scale, but they

wvjo of the very highest quality. Mr Tannock said it might not bo generally known that garden peas grown in tho dominion were sent to England in bulk, put up in attractive packets, and returned to the dominion, where they were retailed. "For years past," continued Mr Tannock, "we nave been saving a, very considerable quantity of our flower seeds, and find that, so long as a certain amount of care is taken in selecting from good varieties, there is absolutely no deterioration in quality. Further, it is found that the New Zealandgrown seeds germinate better, and that the plants are stronger and healthier than those raised from imported seeds." This, said Mr Tannock, was only to be expected, seeing that the imported seeds were sjx months older than the locally-grown. This was an important point, although it had to bo remembered that many seeds retained their germinating power for a very considerable time. Some varieties of seeds, however, did not retain their germinating power for any length of time, and the advantage of growing these varieties locally was considerable. Owing to a peculiarity of our climate (a long growing season) we got vigour in our plants, consequently the New Zealand product had not tho serious defect of being prematurely ripened, as was unfortunately the case with some imported seeds. Mr Tannock said there could be little doubt regarding the commercial aspect. We were now exporting £IOB,OOO worth of seeds, mostly beans and peas, in addition to which a large quantity of _ looallyjjrown seeds were used here. This aspect had gone beyond the experimental stage, and there was scarcely any limit to which exportation might be carried. The work of raising and saving the seeds would, of course, require to be done under the direction of a qualified raiser and cleaner. Cleaning was, in Mr Tannock's opinion, a most important feature of seed production for commercial purposes, and must receive adequate attention if the industry was to b 3 successfully conducted. Ho considered that the industry was admirably suited for returned soldiers, but the necessary vocational training would nsquiro to be undergone. He thought that each s-sloctor should have an area of 10 acres, and that there should be a central factory where the cleaning of the seed could' be undertaken. The necessary training could bo done when the men were in hospital. It was specially suited for men who required to bo in the open air, _ and 1 who were not physically capable of doing the heavy work incidental to an agricultural farm. The men, 'while undergoing hospital treatment, would obtain a considerable amount of preliminary training in seed raising and saving, and this would would fit in with the scheme proposed by the Red Cross Society and the Overseas Club, Another advantage of the preliminary training being taken in hand simultaneously with curative treatment was that a man would find out whether he had any liking-, or any aptitude, for the work. They would requiroto have a good grounding of cross-fertilisation, seed saving, and seed selection. It was not sufficient merely to collect seed from the robust speciments, but they imist establish pedigree seeds of reliable quality. Mr Green said he agreed with the -views so ably expressed by Mr Loudon, What the Otago Education Board had done by way of seed saving had been done in a comparatively small way in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the scheme. They had saved a good deal of seed, but this was mostly done in connection with_ the garden classes at the Teachers' Training College. The 6eeds which were saved there were not always farm Beeds, but the work was undertaken to demonstrate the feasibility and utility of tho scheme. At the public- schools some very fine, samples of seed had been saved. He had a case in njind where a parcel of broad beans were supplied to a city seedsman, who freely admitted, that he had never seen such a fine sample of this vegetable seed. He recognised that the climatic conditions prevailing in New Zealand, and especially in Central Otago, were conducive to the growth of seeds of a superior quality, especially [regarding maturity. xhe success of the scheme, as outlined by _Mr Loudon, depended greatly on the right class of man being selected to superintend the work. Personally, he thought it was a scheme that was capable oIT development from a national point of view, quite apart from the purpose which the Repatriation Board had in initiating it.