TURNIP JUDGING

Taranaki Daily News, 14 March 1935, Page 6

TURNIP JUDGING

COMPETITION AT LOWGARTH. DISEASE-RESISTING TEST. The annual Lowgarth soft turnip competition was judged on Wednesday, the judge being Mr. C. Haynes, of the Department of Agriculture. There were only five entries. The average, considering the dry season, compared favourably with the previous two years. The average in the 1932-33 season for 11 crops was 39 tons 6cwt and the heaviest crop was 49 tons. In the 1933-34 season the average of six crops was 48 tons lOcwt and the heaviest crop 60 tons 18 cwt. This year the crops averaged 33 tons lOcwt and the heaviest crop was 40 tons lOcwt. The following are the results: A. D. Johnson, 40 tons lOcwt (98 points), cultivation 9, quality 8; total, 98; R. Jones, 39 tons 4cwt (81), 9,8; 96; W. Tobeck, 32 tons 2cwt (64), 8,8, 80; A. A. Piper, 31 tons 17cwt (63%), 8,8, 79%; A. J. Lacey, 23 tons 15cwt (47%), 8,7, 62%. Trials arranged by Mr. Haynes with Messrs. Piper and Lacey to grow a new disease-resisting turnip called Mai were also weighed. The turnips were solid and compared favourably with the main crops. The resistance to club-root which the Mai is credited was noticed in Mr. Lacey’s crops and, where the Hardy Green Globe was affected with both dryrot and club-root, the Mai showed only a slight sign of rot, this crop being grown on second ploughing. In the other crop grown by Mr. Piper there was no sign of rot of any kind. That crop was grown on new land. Mr. Haynes considered the experiment was quite a success, considering the dry season. The weights were: Mr. Lacey’s crops, Mai 34 tons lewt, Hardy Green Globe 23 tons 15cwt; Mr. Piper’s, Mai 30 tons lOcwt, Hardy Green Globe 31 tons 19cwt.