AGRICULTURE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17182, 12 February 1930, Page 13

AGRICULTURE

RESEARCH IN AUSTRALIA GRADUATE'S EXPERIENCE " Australia is pinning her fail h on research ill agriculture. Fanners themselves, once apathetic, are beginning to see Unit they are really going to profit by it, and the old, silly conservatism against anything new in agricultural methods is dying out." 'Phis statement was made by Mr. W. Bryden, who has returned to Christchurch for a few months after being an agricultural instructor in Tasmania and a research worker in agriculture at Canberra. Then 1 , in the up-fo-date laboratories of the Federal capital, many of the problems of the farmer were being investigated, he said. Improvement of strains of -wheat, oats, and other cereals formed a great part of the work, while n great feat had been performed by the entomological .section. The curse of Queensland was the prickly pear, which covered thousands of acres. An insect had been introduced which was eating and killing this pest, with the result that there, were great hopes for cultivation ill this area formerly covered with the pear. Canberra was the headquarters of this research, and they were thinking of establishing a university college thcn\ The Bruce Government .had provided many facilities for this work', and the Labor Government was adequately maintaining them. There is a tremendous area of undeveloped country, and irrigation ;is proving the salvation of it in many places. There is certainly depression in Australia, but with the resources that the country has it would appear that this caunoi be anything but temporary.