ROOT CROP EXPERIMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 2 June 1927, Page 9

ROOT CROP EXPERIMENTS

NORTH TARANAKI RESULTS. MR. J. B. HINE IVINS SUTTON CUP. In the root growing competitions in North Taranaki this season an increased number of crops were entered and judged, but there is still room for improvement both in entries and general interest. The yields this season with certain crops \have been below the average, but this can be attributed more to the bad spring than the lack of effort on the part of the competitors. The quality of the roots particularly with the swedes, however, has been uniformly good. The judging was carried out by officers of the Department of Agriculture. In mangolds, Mr. J. B. Hine, of Toko, again wins the “Sutton Cup” for North Taranaki with a fine crop of Prizewinners, the crop weighing out at 90 tons 11 cwt. The other points were cultivation 8 and quality 9, the" total points being 191. Mr. Hine’s crop last year was 111 tons. This season's crop, which was grown on the same ground, was sown in 18-inch drills at the rate of 61b. per acre. The sowing took place on November 2 and 7cwt. of basic super was sown with the seed. The area was gone over with the Planet Junr. once and hand hoed twice.

Mr. J. Klenner, of Kaimata, heads the list in the swede growing with a splendid crop of Masterpiece weighing out at 64 tons 2cwt., his other points being 8 for cultivation and B'A for quality. This crop was sown from every other coulter and seeding was at the rate of 14oz. Super and bonedust at the rate of 1501 b. was sown with the seed, but the crop had the benefit of manure that was applied to an earlier crop which failed. A carrot crop of 51 tons 17cwt., with other points, cultivation 94 and quality 9, was grown by Mr. J. H. Bagley, ot Oakura. The variety was Matchless White and seeding was at the rate of '/alb. on November 20. The drills were 16 inches apart and manuring was with 4 mixture of super, potash, blood and bone, and salt at the rate of sewt. Details of the judging are as follow: MANGOLDS. TOKO.

J. B. Hine ..., Tons. Cwts. Tl. Pts . 00 11 107 LEPPERTON. J. N. Blyde .... 64 16 145% H. E. Blyde .... ., 56 12 130 A. Wright 56 1 128 U. J. Oliver 37 14 01 E. Hellier 37 5 88% P. A. Openshaw 34 7 82% OAKURA. R. jGatenby 73 4 163 J. II. Bagley ... 66 14 150'A C. J. Harris ... 23 8 _ 56% TIKORANGI. R. McKenzie 68 4 153% CARROTS. OAKURA. J. II Bagley ... 51 17 122 SWEDES. KAIMATA. J. Klenner .... 64 2 144% A. Bungay .... 49 14 115 A. E. Burwell .. 48 — 113 R. Tippens .... 46 IS 109 E. Gibbs 4b 14 109 W. Herlihy .... 41 18 09% R. Tippens .... 37 18 02 A. N. Franklin . 31 0 77%