GRASS LAND RESEARCH

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3843, 7 December 1936, Page 5

GRASS LAND RESEARCH

MR BRUCE LEVY TO ATTEND CONGRESS. NEW ZEALAND DELEGATE. Mr E. Bruce Levy, director of the grasslands division of the Plant Research Bureau, has been appointed by tht> Government to represent New Zealand at the Fourth International Grasslands Congress, which will be held "+ the Welsh plant breeding station at Aberystwyth, Wales. The conference will be hold under the presidency of Professor’ R. G. Stapledon. The Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research, Hon. D. G. Sullivan, in announcing the Government’s decision last evening, said:— “This congress, which is held every three years, is one of the most import- ’ ant scientific conferences of the world, and the fact that it is being held this year in Great Britain increases its significance from an Imperial point of vllew. Many visitors to our shores today express astonishment at the wonderful pastures which are conspicuous everywhere, and undoubtedly New Zealand has acquired a deservedly high reputation as a grassland country—a reputation which is substantiated by the exceedingly high proportion of over 90 per cent, of its exports being derived from its pastoral industries.

“It is difficult to realise the stages through which many of our now verdant pastures have passed since the land was in its natural covering of dense bush, fern or scrub. Nevertheless, since New Zealand acquired a ‘grassland consciousness,’ partly through the active part which MiLevy for many years has played as an officer of the Department of Agriculture, studying every phase, of grassland development, these pastures of to-day owe a great deal to the knowledge which has been, gained by dint of careful research work, the results of which have been applied by our farmers. “Such is the importance of pastures to the welfare of New Zealand that the Government has recognised the desirability of sending abroad one of its officers, who has rendered conspicuous service in this direction, and who has attained a very wide reputation as an authority on grass problems. MR LEVY’S VALUABLE WORK. “During the years when the area of new land being laid down to grass was extensive, Mr Levy undertook a series of valuable investigations relating to the grassing of much of the Dominion’s poor class land, and from this work there arose a mass of information which ’’as since proved of great value for instructional purposes. More recently the attention which he has devoted to securing improved strains of grasses and clovers has borne fruit, as is evidenced by the greatly improved carrying capacity which can be secured by the use of such strains as Hawke’s Bay or New Zealand true perenial ryegrass and N«w Zealand No. 1 white clover, to mention only two of the most important strains which Mr Levy has isolated. “The breeding of pasture species, their testing out under various conditions of climate, stocking and fertilising, are at present being studied under Mr Levy’s direction in the grasslands division at Palmerston North. He is also paying attention to the influence which grasses and clovers exert on the quality of stock produce and upon the health of the grazing animals themselves. In this connection his findings on the influence of grasses and clovers in producing taint m dairy produce are of real economic importance to the dairy industry. “The Government has recognised that Mr Levy’s experience and the active part which he has played in the past ensure that he will fittingly represent the Dominion at the forthcoming conference, and, furthermore, an opportunity will be given Mr Levy while abroad to study all the latest developments in grassland research which are proceeding at such stations as Aberysytwyth, Jeallott’s Hill, Rothamsted, National Institute of Agricultural Botany, Cambridge, and elsewhere in Great Britain; while in Europe Mr Levy will visit the research stations in Denmark, Sweden and Finland, in all of which work of direct interest to New Zealand is in progress.” It is expected that Mi- Levy will leave New Zealand late in December and proceed immediately to Great Britain.