RESEARCH WORK IN WAIKATO

Southland Times, Issue 23332, 16 October 1937, Page 14

RESEARCH WORK IN WAIKATO

IMPORTANT SCHEMES OUTLINED PROGRAMME FOR RUAKURA FARM The plans for the development of research and instructional work at Ruakura Farm of Instruction were outlined by the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin) in an interview. 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 research 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. Definite spheres of work had already been allocated to Massey and Canterbury Agricultural Colleges, Cawthron Institute, the Plant Research Stations at Palmerston North and Lincoln, the Wheat Research Institute, the Wallaceville Veterinary Laboratory, and other research laboratories; the work of all institutions was being co-ordinated by the Plant and the Animal Research Bureaux. The Minister said that Ruakura 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 resistant 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 are 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. Trials laid down with basic slag, superphosphate and other phosphates had been inspected by numerous Waikato farmers and had given a splendid demonstration of the usefulness of topdressing, which was now a regular practice in the province. Experimental work was in progress to determine the fertilizer 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.

DAIRY INVESTIGATION

On the dairy side, it was proposed, stated the Minister, 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. Already work had been commenced on feed flavour, artificial insemination and sterility in bulls, and further researches were planned, in dairy cow nutrition.

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 boars and sows for sale would be abandoned and the whole of the pig section of the farm would be devoted to nutrition experiments. The problems allocated to Ruakura were sow nutrition, litter feeding, influence of feeding on bacon quality, and winter feeding of store pigs. 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 the near future work would be carried out in demonstrating intensive fat lamb production in the Waikato, and a herd of Polled Angus cows had recently been established at Ruakura to investigate the best feeding methods for the production of chilled beef. During the past season excellent “chillers” had been produced on the farm. 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.

CONTROL OF RAGWORT “Ragwort has become a serious pest on many areas of Auckland dairying grassland; a far more serious pest than in Otago and Southland, where it is fairly common in waste land, for there it has little or no winter growth and the preponderance of sheep farming keeps it under control in pasture lands,” said the Minister. “The Government has made systematic plans for its control; excellent work has been done by county councils using labour and material supplied by the Government in clearing up ragwort on waste land and helping indigent owners to clear their land. Sodium chlorate has been used for the destruction of the weed, but experience has shown that under certain conditions of soil moisture and plant growth the destruction of the weed is not complete. To improve the technique of the common methods of eradication of this weed the Government has established a Ragwort Committee comprising officers of the Department of Agriculture and Scientific and Industrial Research Department. Two full-time officers, one a botanist dealing with the life-history of the plant and its association with pasture plants, and the other a chemist who is dealing with the actual destruction of ragwort with chemicals, have been stationed at Ruakura. “Ruakura is controlled by the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture and to more closely link up the research and instruction of the Fields Division in the Auckland Province the Auckland Fields Superintendent’s headquarters were recently moved to Hamilton; this allows research and instructional work to be co-ordinated and brings the research worker and instructor into closer contact. The farm manager at Ruakura acts as superintendent of the Farm Training College which has for a staff two instructors in agriculture and a farm and visiting staff of lecturers. The professional research staff consists of two animal nutrition officers, one crop experimentalist, one officer for feed flavour investigation work, two officers for ragwort, and an extension officer in pig husbandry.”