EXPERIMENTAL WHEAT GROWING.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20505, 25 August 1936, Page 6

EXPERIMENTAL WHEAT GROWING.

So much uncertainty prevails in the wheat-growing districts in New Zealand, in relation to the effect the importation of wheat is likely to have upon the future of the industry, that the announcement of the Government’s intention to encourage experimentation in the developing of new and more suitable varieties of wheat, will be w’armly welcomed. In a statement issued during the week-end, the Minister of Industries and Commerce explained that to induce the farmers to grow an additional one thousand acres of wheat this year, and to enable an experiment to be conducted in milling straight Jumbuck and Marquis flour to take the place of imported wheat, the Wheat Committee is prepared to arrange for the growing of these varieties. The proposition the Minister makes is that farmers should avail themselves of the Government’s scheme to grow these varieties of milling wheat because of the importance to New Zealand of meeting the inroads imported wheat is making. The Minister announces that the Wheat Committee will co-operate in this highly important experimentation from which it is hoped to secure highly informative results. The details of the working out of the scheme are as under: , “The wheat grown under these special contracts, of a fair average quality, will be paid for at the prices fixed for Marquis and Jumbuck wheats for the 1937 harvest, but in addition the grower may be paid a premium according to blending or baking quality. "As early as possible during the harvest of 1937 the Wheat Committee will fix a standard of quality for this special contract Jumbuck and Marquis. This standard will be a degree of quality quite apart from the f.a.q. description laid down In the regulations, and will be determined upon the value of the wheat for blending and baking purposes. “For all special contract Jumbuck and Marquis which excels the standards, the committee will pay a premium above the usual Jumbuck and Marquis prices. The grower will thus be assured of at least the Jumbuck and Marquis fixed price with a good chance of a premium.” The Government’s objectives are two: In the first place, it is hoped that the offer of a bonus or subsidy will induce wheat-growers not only to increase the area under cultivation, but that some substantial advances will be made in the direction of cultivating new wheat varieties which will make up any deficiency that may exist in present production. It is hoped that a number of wheat growers will enthusiastically co-operate with the Wheat Research Committee, and that useful and economic conclusions will result from the proposed experiments.