THE CAWTHORN INSTITUTE

Otago Witness, Issue 3556, 9 May 1922, Page 47

THE CAWTHORN INSTITUTE

ITS WORK OUTLINED. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) . AUCKLAND, May 1. Particulars of the work of the Cawthorn Institute have Been given to the Herald in an interview by Bishop Sadlier, chairman of the trustees, and Professor Easterfield director. One of the most important features of the work accomplished by the institute was stated to be a soil .survey of the district, carried out by the chemical and agricultural division. This survey, the director explaaned, showed how particular types of soil are distributed in the Nelson district for what each type is best fitted, and what particular type of manurial treatment is most suitable for each class of soil. Leading agricultural authorities had advocated foi years past that such a survey should be made of the whole of New Zealand a m satisfied that the good "results winch will follow the systematic survey of the whole of the Nelson district must induce the future Government to have similar work carried out for the whole of the dominion,” said Professor Easterfield In the future it will be possible, by looking at a map, to locate any given farm and find out at once the nature of the soil, and what it is best fitted to grow. On the whole the farmer grows the right thing, but he does it as the result of a long—-and often a very expensive—process of elimination. Again, such a survey would prevent land worth £ls an acre being sold at £4O an acre simply because it adjoins lands worth the higher figure. The owner often sells at the higher figure in good faith, and the buyer finds, to his sorrow, that he has made a bad bargain. That would be impossible under a systematic system of sou survey research.” ‘‘Work dealing with diseased plants and various fungoid pests is being carried out with great success in the mycollogical laboratory of the institute bv Dr" Kathleen Curtis, a young New Zealand lady who has done briliant work in her profession ” said Bishop Sadlier. ‘‘Dr Curtis has already published in Transactions of the Royal Society,_ London, a monograph on wart disease in potatoes, which cannot failrto be of the greatest assistance to scientists in finding means to eamfaat this pest, while of particular interest to New Zealand fruitgrowers are some of her recent observations on black spot fungus. An'important discovery made bv Dr Curtis last spring was that of a perfect form of black spot on apple and pear which was hitherto supposed to be_ non-existent in New Zealand. Black spot in its worst form is a serious enemv to fruit exporters, and the facts already discovered by Dr Curtis have an important bearing on the control of this fungus in orchards of the dominion. A very large number of diseased plants and fruits have also been submitted to her bv farmers, orchardists, and market gardeners while her advice and lectures to tomato growers on fungoid disease have been highly apnreoiated.” The question ns to whether any research work has been done at Cawthorn Institute in connection with fireblight disease was put to Professor Easterfield. “We have done nothing in Nelson itself.” he replied, “for the simple fact that the disease is such a menace that we must decline to actually experiment with it in any way in the South Island, in which it has not made its appearance. Dr Till yard, chief of the biological staff, and Dr Katheen Curtis, the mycologist, have, however, visited the fireblight, areas of the Auckland district, and have collaborated with expert officers of the Department of Agriculture.” Dr Tillynrd’s energetic campaign against the hawthorn hedge, the great harbourer of the disease in the fruit-growing districts it was added, had caused many fruitgrowers to root up the hedges around their orchards. Tt was stated that excellent, work is also being don© in combatting insect pests of various kinds.